Summary: Our society hurts today, many children have a dad but there are few fathers... Men arise and take a child and love...

WE NEED SPIRITUAL FATHERS... SPIRITUAL SONS...

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

I. THERE MANY BE MANY DADS, BUT THERE ARE NOT MANY FATHERS...

1 Cor. 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in

Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

NIV

1 Cor. 4:15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers,

for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.

MESSAGE

1 Cor. 4:15 There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there

aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me

proclaim God's Message to you that I became your father.

II. WE HAVE A GREAT NEED WITHIN THE CHURCH TODAY...

WE NEED SPIRITUAL FATHERS...

GOD HEAR OUR PRAYERS AND GIVE TO US SPIRITUAL FATHERS...

Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him,

Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

[2] And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land

of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

[3] And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with

him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place

of which God had told him.

[4] Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

[5] And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder

and worship, and come again to you,

[6] And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire

in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

[7] And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son.

And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

[8] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of

them together.

[9] And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the

wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

[10] And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

[11] And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said,

Here am I.

[12] And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that

thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

[13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his

horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

[14] And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the

Lord it shall be seen.

[15] And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

[16] And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not

withheld thy son, thine only son:

[17] That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven,

and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

III. WE HAVE PART OF HUMAN NATURE THAT SEARCHES FOR A PERFECT FATHER IMAGE...

MAN IS BENT DESIRING TO HAVE A FATHER IMAGE...

A. We need an AUTHORITY FIRGURE, people long for this ---

to lead us and guide us

John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit

and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

B. Because many have had a WRAPPED, ABUSIVE, MEAN, DRUNK, FATHER AUTHORITY FIGURE...

C. THIS TWISTED VALUE SYSTEM EFFECTS/AFFECTS THE VIEW WE HAVE TO GOD THE FATHER.

IV. SPIRITUAL FATHERS HAVE A HEART FOR THEIR SONS...

SONS HAVE A HEART FOR THEIR FATHER...

A. WE NEED FATHERS IN THE CHURCH... FAMILIES NEED FATHERS...

Malachi 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their

fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

B. A rebellious father, a rebellious son will bring a curse.

C. WE HAVE A SPIRITUAL FATHER VACANCY...

V. WHILE WE ARE BENT WITHIN OUR SPIRIT TO HAVE SPIRITUAL FATHERS...

OUR ENEMY WILL TRY TO BREAK US BY TURNING OUR BENDING TO BE A BROKEN SPIIRIT...

A. Abused, broken, wounded... could cause people to go to the wrong source...

Many BEHAVIORIAL PROBLEMS are birthed in DYSFUNTIONAL FATHER IMAGES...

Psalm 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up

.Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

VI. MANY HAVE NEVER HAD A PROPER FATHER IMAGE FOR SO LONG...

THEY DO NOT WANT A FATHER... THEY CAN BE FREE FROM THE AUTHORITY?

VII. IT TAKES A SUBMITTED SON TO BUILD A SUMBITTED FATHER...

A PROCRASTINATOR CAN NEVER MAKE A GOOD SPIRITUAL FATHER...

DID YOU KNOW THAT TO BE A GOOD FATHER, YOU NEED TO BE A GOOD SON?

A. ABRAHAM HAD TO BE SUBMITTED TO GOD TO BE A GOOD FATHER...

EARLY IN THE MORNING... immediately...

Genesis 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young

men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the

place of which God had told him.

B. CAN ABRAHAM FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FOR HE CAN GIVE THEM?

[4] Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

C. THE 3RD DAY IS A GREAT LESSON..

VIII. A FATHER KNOWS HIS CHILDREN, AND WILL NEVER PUSH TO EGO HEIGHTS OF TROPHIES...

Psalm 103: [13] Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

[14] For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

[15] As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

[16] For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

[17] But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and

his righteousness unto children's children;

[18] To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

IX. SPIRITUAL FATHERS MUST MOVE BY FAITH, EVEN WHEN THE ANSWER IS NOT

VISIBLE. GOD HAS A PLAN... I WILL TRUST THE UNSEEN HANDS...

A. SPIRITUAL FATHERS MUST SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL...

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the

promises offered up his only begotten son,

[18] Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

[19] Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received

him in a figure.

B. FATHERS' SEE GOD IS ABLE...

X. FATHERS KNOW ABOUT PIG PENS... ANY GOOD FATHER WILL NOT LEAD THEIR SONS

TO THE MUD AND STINK OF THE TRASH BINS OF LIFE...

A. TODAY MANY CHILDREN HEAR GOD'S NAME IN VAIN,

THEY ARE SELDOM TAKEN TO SUNDAY SCHOOL...

B. A Dad that is a POOR EXAMPLE will pay with MANY BITTER TEARS...

Luke 15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

C. HOW SAD WHEN A DAD IS IN THE BAR WITH HIS CHILDREN...

TWO-FACED HYPOCRITES?

Luke 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw

him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

D. THE DAD HAD:

1. THE BEST ROBE... covering of blessings...

2. RING ON HIS HAND... symbol of authority

3. SHOES ON HIS FEET... not a slave...

XI. A GOOD FATHER KNOWS WHEN TO RELEASE HIS CHILDREN...

TRUST THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD...

A. THE FATHER AVAILABLE TO GOD HAS A SON AVAILABLE FOR GOD'S WILL...

Genesis 22:11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham:

and he said, Here am I.

[12] And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know

that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

B. WE CAN NOT SING HAVE MY OWN WAY LORD???

LORD, HAVE MY OWN PLAY????

C. YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO DIE TO LIVE...

Malachi 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to

their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers

to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for

the Lord.

CONCLUSION...

SPIRITUAL FATHERS ARE NOT ALWAYS MEN...

WOMEN CAN BRIDGE THE GAP...

His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com