Scripture: Dt. 6:6-9; Colossians 3:18-25
Theme: Legacy - A Father' s Legacy
INTRO:
Good morning and to all the Fathers out there in our worship service this morning, Happy Father's Day! Again - Happy Father's Day!
This morning, I am sure that most of our fathers would agree that it is good to be a man. On the internet are all kinds of lists and reasons why it is good to be a man this morning. Here are a few of the reasons that were given:
+Most phone conversations can be done in less than two minutes.
+A five day holiday requires only a single overnight bag.
+You can click through all the TV channels and only stop at sports.
+Car mechanics do not lie to you.
+Grey hair/wrinkles only add character as you age allowing you to save money.
+Bathroom lines are 80% shorter for men than for women.
+You are not expected to know more than five colors. And most of your world will revolve around just three of them - blue, brown and black.
+Three pair of shoes are more than enough.
+If another man wears the same shirt as you have on, they may become your lifelong friend.
+Usually as you age most people lower their expectations concerning your everyday behavior.
Did you know, that one of the busiest days of the year for phone calls is Mother's Day? It is not unusual to find that the lines are so busy that you have to call at another time. That doesn't happen on Father's Day. Historically, Father's Day has been the day when the most collect calls have been made. In this day of cell phones that may be changing,
Did you know that there is significant amount of difference between the gifts that are bought on both days? Father Day gifts average about $ 35 less than Mother's Day gifts. In other words, when you add all the gifts up for mom verses dad, children spend an average of $35.00 less on dad than they do on mom. Ever since we, Americans, have been celebrating both holidays, mom's day is the alpha while dad's day is the beta.
A lot of that behavior is due to the sorry state of fatherhood today. Nearly, 40% of children in our nation are being raised without their biological father in their home or active in their lives. In real numbers, that adds up to more than 24.7 million children across our nation.1 That figure is staggering when we think about it. That is almost as many people as live in the state of Texas ( 24.7 million versus 26.5 million) It is almost four times the number of people that live in our state of Tennessee ( 6.5 million). The absence of a father is becoming an dire epidemic in our nation and is reaping havoc across all racial, cultural and economic lines.2
So, this morning if your father is in your home, then take a moment and praise the LORD and pray for those who are not as fortunate as you. Each Father's Day, I think of my sister and her children, who lost her husband and their dad when the oldest child was only 16 and the youngest one was about six. They were serving as missionaries in Puerto Rico, when he drowned in a horrible accident. His absence devastated their family and to this very day all of them are still affected by his absence.
I miss my dad today, and I know Rebekah misses her dad. Praise the LORD, both of our fathers are in heaven but it still does not take away all of the pain or the loss. Neither one of us thought they would die as soon as they did, and today is always a bittersweet day. I rejoice in the fact that the LORD blessed me to be a father and now, for my son, to be a father, but I still miss my father and I know Rebekah misses her dad.
Let's just take a moment, right now in our service and ask the Lord to be with all of those whose fathers have passed away. Let us pray for peace and comfort and protection in those families. (Prayer)
This morning, I want to talk to you about LEGACY.
A legacy is something that you hand down to the next generation. Usually, when people think about legacy they think of an inheritance. They see legacy as something that one generation passes down to the next generation either in the form of property or money.
But legacy can mean much more than just those two things. We can leave behind more than just tangible things. For example, we can leave behind a witness, a set of principles and a certain lifestyle. We can live behind a life well lived, a godly life.
Right now, President Obama during these last two years of his presidency is working hard to preserve what would be called his Presidential Legacy. He is trying his best to make sure that there are certain things, that when people see his name or talk about him, they look back and given him credit for this or that in American History. President Obama wants his legacy to ascend to the heights of a Washington or a Lincoln and not to the depths of an Andrew Johnson or even a Warren Harding.
A few years ago, legacy was something that most people did not have time to think about. The average man in the 1800's lived about 35 years. That did not leave a great deal of time to leave behind a meaningful legacy or to even contemplate about a legacy. It was not very much better in the early part of the 1900's, when the average man lived to be about 46 years of age. If that fact was still true today, over 50 million men would suddenly be dead this morning across our nation, for according to the latest numbers we have more than 50 million men over the age of 45 in America. Again, 46 years does not leave one with a great deal of time to contemplate and build a legacy.
However, by the year 1950, legacy was becoming something that the average man in the US could begin to build, as the average man lived to be 69 years of age. Today, the average man here this morning, can look forward to enjoying at least 80 or more years and there are some in our congregation that have already accomplished that feat and are going towards 90.
80 - 85 years. Men, this morning, think about it. It's not as much as say Noah enjoyed (950) or even Adam (930) or Abraham (175) or even Moses (120). But it is long enough to make a difference to the two or three generations that will follow us. Whereas a man born in 1800 was very fortunate to be a part of a multi-generational household, today there are a number of men who are part of multi-generational families. Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip is a great-grandfather and there even a few great-great-grandfathers alive across the world.
So, most of us men are going to be able to enjoy 80+ years this morning. And if you are a woman this morning, you again have us men beat. You are the alpha in this category as well. Sixty-six of the oldest people on our planet all are women. The oldest man is 111 years old and he is #67. On the average, men just don't live as long as women.
Anyway, with 80+ years staring us in the face
- #1 - what are we going to do with all that time and
#2 - what kind of legacy do we want to leave for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
When they see our names or even are in our company what do we want to leave them, what legacy do we want to leave behind after we are gone, hopefully to heaven.
Because here is one of that great truths :
You will pass something on to your children, your grand-children and your great grandchildren. That is a given. What that is, however, depends a great deal on us this morning. God gives us the freedom to choose what we want to leave behind.
And for many of you this morning, you will have to create and crave that out for yourself and your family. Many of you were not taught how to pass on a godly legacy. You were not born into a good godly home. While many sitting here this morning can look back over the generations and see a great deal of good, others sadly, were not taught how to be a godly man or even a godly woman. If they are going to leave behind a godly legacy they are going to have to create it firsthand.
Let me encourage all of you, whether you are a man or a woman this morning to do your best then to create a godly legacy. You may ask, how can we create one if we did not have a great pattern in front of us? How can we leave behind a great legacy if the one we did inherit was not a great one or even a godly one?
Praise the Lord, this morning, we have both our Bibles and the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. The more we saturate ourselves in the Word and the more we listen to the Holy Spirit' the more you and I will be able to create and leave behind a great legacy for our children.
What we cannot do on our own, the Word and the Spirit will guide us and direct us. All we have to do is to read, meditate and open ourselves to hear the directions of God and obey them. All we have to do is be receptive to God's leading. If there is anyone who can help us leave a godly legacy it is God Himself.
We can begin leaving behind a godly legacy by leaving behind a RIB. That's right a R I B. Remember, Adam gave up a rib to gain the most wonderful of all of God's creation - a woman named Eve. And we can this morning use Rib as an acrostic ( R I B ) to remind ourselves how we can make sure that we leave behind a godly legacy for our families and friends to enjoy and be inspired.
I. We can leave behind a godly legacy by simply being a Godly Role Model; by being a Real Man, which the Bible tells us is - A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART.
This morning, let me introduce to you a man we are going to call Bubba South. He lives in our state and he prides himself in being a man's man. On the job he has the reputation of being a go-getter. He is a hard worker. He doesn't mind long hours, nor does he mind getting his hands all dirty and grimy. He likes to feel the bead of sweat on his face as he puts in a hard days labor. He is an excellent provider for his family. He doesn't care what it takes to make sure that his family is well taken care.
Naturally, Bubba drives a big truck and if possible a big white truck. Bubba has only three basic requirements for his truck; it has to be big, loud and it has to have been made by Americans. There are no imports or no little sissy trucks for Bubba. By the way, he doesn't like sushi either if you were wondering.
Bubba loves to be outdoors. He loves all kinds of outdoor things like fishing and hunting. He'll even try a round or two of golf, but don't ask him to play cricket or tennis. In his mind, real men fish, hunt and watch football. At times, especially when he is around some of his closest buddies, he may even have a cold one and he isn't oppose to an off color joke or two. Bubba would tell you that he loves God, but he isn't religious. Bubba doesn't like church. He thinks it's boring, not relevant and to full of hypocrites. To him, real men and church don't go together. Church is a place for children and women. Anyway, you can get some extra work done on Sunday and that means more money for more things. Also, not going to church means that you can enjoy some quiet time away from the rest of the family.
What Bubba doesn't always understand is he does have a religion and he is a committed convert. In fact, Bubba is a committed convert to this religion. His religion is called "American Masculinity". It is the belief that a real man is defined by his work, his hobbies, his entertainment, his truck and even his addictions. It the belief that a real man is a man's man and proud of it. It is the belief that a real man doesn't surrender to anything or anyone and is not dependent on anything or anyone. A real man pulls up his own boot straps.
However, when Bubba gets to the pearly gates he is going to be in for a surprise. It is true this morning that we can say that God loves trucks, he loves hunting and fishing and God very much loves work. God loves all of those things. But more than anything, God loves for a man to be a real man and a real man to God is a man after God's own heart. And after all, God makes not only makes the rules but He is the Rule.
In God's heart, a real man is one who is convicted and committed to living out a godly life here on this earth. A real man is one who lives out a genuine human life; a life born again through the blood of Jesus and one who has been baptized by the fires of the Holy Spirit. To God, a real man is a man who invests in things that are going to last and there is nothing that last more than Heaven. And so a real man is one whose heart, mind and soul has been given to the LORD. A real man is one who is living for God. To do otherwise is to live like the Devil and we all know what a liar and fool the Devil is this morning.
You see the old Devil told Bubba a big fat lie. The Devil told Bubba and a lot of other men that church and God is not for real men. Now, if Bubba would have read the Bible, he wouldn't believe this lie. But the Devil also told Bubba that reading is for nerds and real men aren't nerds. The Devil told Bubba if it doesn't come on the TV or can be explained in two minutes, he shouldn't be interested. The Devil convinced Bubba that he had finished all that book learning years ago. The only time to read now is if it will make you a dollar.
This morning, we could really help Bubba. If Bubba wanted to really meet some real men, all he would have to do is open up the Bible and begin to read the stories of some real men like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah or Daniel.
+You can't get to be more of a man than Noah, who with his bare hands built an wooden ark that was able to withstand a global flood. A man who was able to stand against everyone else on earth because he was grounded in the LORD. (Genesis 6)
+You can't get to be more of a man than Abraham, who live out in the desert for 100 years, building an family fortune and having an personal army of more than 300 armed soldiers. A man whose army took on the army of four kings and defeated them soundly. (Genesis 14)
+You can't get to be more like a man than Moses who went toe to toe with the World Leader of his day, Pharaoh of Egypt. You can't be more of a man than Moses, who was able to lead millions of people through a desert and make sure that they survive for over 40 years. It takes a man's man to do that kind of work.
+You can't get to be more of a man than David who at an early age killed giants and then went about building an empire. You can't get to be more of a man than David, who went from owning a few sheep to being worth over 1 billion dollars by the time he went to be with the LORD.
+You can't get to be more of a man than Daniel who survived a night in a lion's den and in the morning was able to walk out unharmed.
+You can't get to be more of a man that Elijah who stood against 850 prophets on Mt. Carmel and was able to rain down fire from heaven.
And we haven't even covered the likes of Gideon, Elisha or Josiah along with Hosea or John the Baptist or even James and John the fishermen. We sometimes forget that James and John (Peter and Andrew as well) were able to throw these fishing nets that weighed over 15 pounds all night long to catch fish. You can just imagine how strong these men became after hours and hours of throwing those nets over and over again. And it was not unusual for them to haul in a load of fishing weighing between 50 to 100 pounds out of the sea. These disciples were men.
You, see Bubba just thinks he knows what a real man looks like, smells like and lives like. If he would put himself in Jesus' sandals for one day, he would see things differently. We have all these pictures of Jesus looking like he is some kind of weakling. The fact is however, that those pictures don't tell us the real story.
The word that has been translated as carpenter can also be translated stone mason. For men that did the work that Jesus did, worked with bricks as much as they did with wood. It was nothing for our Savior to pick up these large stones and chisel out stones weighing 20 -30 pounds and the using them to make the sides of a house or building.
Jesus had no problem hiking up 3, 500 foot mountains and spending hours in prayer. He had no problem sleeping outdoors and gathering in his own food to eat. He had no problem walking 10-20 miles a day as he went from city to city, day after day after day.
You see, Bubba needs to model his life on some real men. Some men who are going to be around after this life is over. And real men are men after God's own heart. That's what God tells us and again, God not only is ruler, He makes the rules. No matter what we may think, we better think like God. And God says real men are men of God.
Real men are also men who have experienced the infilling fire of the Holy Spirit. Real men are men who have been baptized by the fire of the Holy Spirit. And that is the 2nd way we can make sure that we leave behind a godly legacy:
I. "R" - Be a Real Man - A Role Model - A Real Man after God's Own Heart
II. "I" Be a Man who has been and is being Infilled with the Holy Spirit - on fire for God
In the Bible, if you want to see some real men all you have to do is to look at those that were constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit. Some of those we have already mentioned. Two other men would be Barnabas and Paul, who were constantly experiencing the infilling of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and lives. They were men who Bubba would have to confess are REAL MEN. They were men who:
a. Surrendered their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ and were baptized in the fire of the Holy Spirit. They were change agents for God.
b. Lived out these powerful prayer lives - the kind of prayer lives that brings about signs and wonders and miracles. The kind of prayer lives like the writer of James speaks of in James 5 when he speaks of Elijah -
"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. And then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit." (James 5:17-18 ESV)
c. Who are able to stand up against all kinds of persecution
Just take Paul for an example - just listen to what this man of God faced in his lifetime:
+ Stoned and left for dead
+ Beaten with rods three times
+ Whipped with 39 lashes five times
+ Attacked by an angry mob
+ More times that we can count he was threaten with death
+ Shipwrecked three times and floated in the water for over 24 hours before he was rescued
+ Criticized by other Christians - some of them were at one time his closest friends
+ Under arrest for two years without a trial - being chained 24/7 between two guards
+ Bitten by a viper and survived.
Now, if anyone was a man's man, I think we can all agree that the Apostle Paul was a man's man. I dare say our friend Bubba, this morning, could not say that any of his "AMERICAN MASCULINE" buddies have gone through any of those things. Why they may not even be willing to go through those things. Instead, they may decide to cop out once the heat is turned on.
But you see, in the power of the Holy Spirit, God can take a man and make a real man out of him. God can take a sinful man and put so much of His Holy Spirit in him that he can go through all of those things and come out on the other side and be a man of God. This morning, if we will surrender our hearts and lives to the LORD Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to baptize us in fire and continually infill us with His Holy Spirit, there is nothing we can't do for the LORD.
This morning, we need men today like Paul and Barnabas. For a man who is being infilled with the HOLY SPIRIT is a man who will leave behind a godly legacy.
R - Be a Real Man - A Role Model - A Real Man after God's Own Heart
I - Be a Man who has been and is being Infilled with the Holy Spirit - on fire for God
III. B - A Man who Believes and Becomes a Man of God in His Daily Walk
Over the years I have done a great many funeral services. Now, for the most part, funeral services are those times that people are kind and they share all kinds of wonderful and nice stories about a person. In fact, some people greatest day is their funeral day.
Because in a few short weeks, many are forgotten or the stories change. Not very many people are talked about in glowing terms a few months and years after their deaths as they are on the day of their funeral. It's sad but it's true.
However, you and I can live in a way that years after we are gone, our light is still shinning. We can live in such a way that years later when our names are mentioned people's eyes will light up and good words and memories will still be shared. We men can do that by simply believing and becoming a Man of God in our Daily Walk with Jesus. We can do that by allowing the LORD to help us:
1. Fulfill our marriage covenants with loving Hearts and that means that we are faithful to our spouses. We treat our wives like they are the love of our lives. We love our wives and let them and our children know it. We are not ashamed of them.
This morning, don't let your marriage get stale or stagnant. You can do a lot of things for your family, but if you want to really do something that will change a generation it is this - love your wife and teach your children by example how to love their spouses. If you do that you will leave a great godly legacy.
2. Pray for our children and grandchildren like Job did for his family. Make it a priority each day to pray for your family. No one else can love your family, your spouse, your children and grandchildren like you. No one else will pray for them with the intensity that you can possess. No one will intercede for them like you can before God.
On one single day, Job lost all of his children, seven sons and three daughters. But they were all ready to meet the LORD. Everyone one of them made it into the Promise Land. A big part of that happening is because Job prayed for them each and every day. Now that's a legacy. Don't be just a man who provides for his family materially, be one who is able to bring down favor and blessing and salvation for his family.
3. Transition from being just a father to being a friend. Being someone's father starts off through simple biology but true fathers invest their lives in their families and become not only fathers but friends. If there was anything that I ever wanted to experience with my father it was this type of relationship. We were father and son but we never made it to being true friends. He just didn't know how to accomplish that depth of relationship. His generation was not taught how to make that transition. I challenge all of us today to do all we can to be not just our children's father and even grandfathers, but to be their friends. To develop the kind of relationship that goes beyond biology and into heart to heart friendship.
4. Be a visible example. Allow your children and grandchildren to see you praying, reading the Bible and attending worship. This morning. our feet and hands teach volumes. We will tell our children the importance of God and of HIs Kingdom if our feet are walking through the doorways of a church on Sunday mornings. We will tell our children the importance of God and His kingdom if they see us singing, praising God, praying and faithfully giving back to God what is His. We will show them if we truly believe and are determined to become a godly man or woman.
5. Finally, plan to have your best days be alongside your last days.
Most of my life my dad was not a Christian and he did not always try to do things right. At times, truth be told, he was a complete scoundrel. If he were here right now, he would tell you himself. At times he was not nice to my mom or to my sisters or brother. At times he allowed his anger to get the best of him. A lot of the time he was simply absent, working 60 - 70 hours a week.
However, dad finished life well. He was in his 60's when he accepted Jesus as his Savior and LORD, and for the rest of his life, he did his best to believe and become a man after God's own heart. Was he perfect? No, what father is perfect except for our Heavenly Father? But he did his best to reach out, to treat mom right and to love us children and grandchildren and to live a Christian life.
For years I did not like him and I did not want to be around him. Even though he was my father, I did not care for the way he talked, the way he treated people or the way he lived. I appreciated all the hard work he did and the way he provided for us, but I did not want to be like him. I wanted to emulate all his good qualities but I wanted to be a very much different person than he was at that time. He persecuted me for going to church and studying for the ministry. He would make fun and was always quick to point out when I would mess up.
By the time of his death, all of that was changed. Jesus changed everything and Jesus changed his legacy. By the time of his death, his legacy was the legacy of a man who had allowed the LORD to change his mind, his heart and his life. I remember the day he told me for the first time he was proud that I had become a minister. I knew then that his heart and life had changed.
This morning, you and I will leave behind a legacy. Will it be more like Bubba and the religion of "American Masculinity" or will it be more in line of that of real men like Noah, Abraham or David?
As we close this morning, if today were your last day, what legacy would you leave? Would it be one in which God is honored and praised? Would it be one that would serve as a light for others? Would it be one in which whomever was doing your funeral would have to say very little because your life was one of believing and becoming a man of God?
We are going to close by singing that little song "FIND US FAITHFUL" - page 726. Listen to it as Rebekah sings it for us. Than as we sing it this morning, if you truly cannot say that your light, your legacy is one that you want to leave, our altars are open for you to come and talk to the LORD. If there is something you need to take care of, begin your legacy today - a legacy of a man or woman, boy or girl that
Is a real person for God
Who desires the constant infilling presence of God's Fire through His Holy Spirit
A person who believes and is doing all they can to become a Man/Woman/Boy/Girl for the LORD!
Let's sing -
1 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, “Living Arrangements of Children under 18 Years/1 and Marital Status of Parents by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin/2 and Selected Characteristics of the Child for all Children 2010.” Table C3. Internet Release Date November, 2010.
2 See diagram on www.fathers.com
. For more good information check out http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/06/15/a-tale-of-two-fathers/
