“A Father’s Gift”
(A Father’s Day Message)
1. Introduction
Today is a special day, a day we pay tribute to our father’s. This is a special day for me, for one, I have a great father that has joined us this morning. Secondly, I am a father-to-be a second time. This day is a reflection for us all. Some carry fond 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 “the look”. Some gathered here this morning, may have different memories of your father. Maybe he wasn’t the world’s greatest dad, maybe he wasn’t a Christian, maybe he was never around, but you had a great mother or great grandparents. Nevertheless, we are here to honor great fathers today!
· Share some memories you have of Dad.
· Share some things you enjoy about being a dad.
Transition: There are a lot of cool things about being a dad but one thing is for sure…
2. Being A Father Is About Giving
Proverbs 4:1-7 says…
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor." Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
Luke 11:11-12 says…
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
· Crystal and I have talked about the subject of parenthood many times. Bailey is only two and a half years of age, but the reality is that life will never be the same for us. Once you have children everything changes, but for the better!
· If you asked any father in this building what he desired 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 hopes that they will make right choices.
· I know as a father that I cannot give my little girl everything she wants, I would like to give her the world (but I know that would spoil her rotten), but hopefully with God’s help, I can do my part to give her all she needs.
· Being a father is about giving of yourself, for the betterment of your children!
· It’s not only about giving gifts! It’s personal, it’s about giving them your time, attention, and your love!
Transition: God got personal with the title he chooses to wear…
3. God “the Father”
2 Corinthians 6:18 says…
"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
Psalm 68:4-5 says…
Sing praises to the Lord! Raise your voice in song to him who rides upon the clouds! Jehovah is his name-oh, rejoice in his presence. He is a father to the fatherless; he gives justice to the widows, for he is holy.
(The Living Bible)
· God could have chosen to call himself anything else, but he chose to wear the title as “Father”.
· He wants this relationship to be personal!
· What a privilege it is to be called his children!
· Webster’s dictionary defines a father as “a guardian or protector.”
· 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 guardian or protector over your life.
Transition: Earthly fathers give great gifts sometimes, but God gave the ultimate gift…
4. God “the Father” Gave…
Illustration:
At the time when Martin Luther was having his Bible printed in Germany, a printer’s daughter encountered God’s love. No one had told her about Jesus. Toward god, she felt no emotion but fear. One day, she gathered 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. The thought that God would give anything moved her from fear to joy. Her mother noticed the change of attitude. When asked the cause of her happiness, the daughter produced the crumpled piece of partial verse from her pocket. The mother read it and asked, “What did he give?” The child was perplexed for a moment and then answered, “I do not know. But if He loved us well enough to give us anything, we should not be afraid of Him.”
John 3:16-17 says…
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and 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.”
· God made this thing personal by calling Himself father, now He has given a most precious gift, His Son.
· No matter what your views of God are this morning, God loved you enough to give…
· You may be sitting there thinking if God is such a good “Father” then why is life so unfair? Or, maybe even why is God so unfair?
Transition: Which brings me to the conclusion to today’s message…
5. Father’s Fairness… or Forgiveness?
Illustration:
The Day Fairness Died (taken from “How Good is Good Enough?” by Andy Stanley)
Once upon a time life was fair. It didn’t last very long, but there was a time when all things were equal, everybody on earth had an equal opportunity to access and discover the truth about God. Everybody on earth knew exactly what God’s standard was. Everybody understood the rules and the consequences for breaking them. Everybody had meaningful employment, a place to live, a healthy family environment. Things were perfect. Life was simple. Instead of ten commandments, God issued only one. One commandment. He didn’t bother to etch it on a tablet of stone. Everybody committed it to memory. The time I’m referring to is the beginning in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they-not God- introduced sin and all its consequences into their fair, just, and perfect world. So God had two choices: Start over, or resort to mercy and grace.
· You may be here feeling like life is not fair, God is not fair, He does not love me.
· Have you ever considered that maybe God suffered on the day that fairness died.
· In order to get us out of our sticky situation, He had to do something completely unfair. Send His son Jesus to earth to die for our sins.
· Fairness would demand that we die for our own sins, Right?
· One of Bailey’s new phrase’s is “That’s not fair!” she says it constantly.
Illustration:
The last chapter in Andy Stanley’s new book shares a story we can all learn about God’s grace. He tells the story of buying a new car and being so proud of it. One Saturday morning he was taking out the trash when to his surprise someone had etched a big “A” followed by other attempts at other letters. He writes about how furious he was to discover this. So he calls his children and demands for them to confess, in which one son say’s that his only daughter Allie had done this. He asks his three-year-old daughter if she had scratched his car only to hear “yes sir, daddy!” What was he supposed to do? Demand payment for the damage? She couldn’t pay for that! She had no concept of what she had done.
Psalm 103:8-10 says…
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
· God is a Father that knows we have a debt we can’t pay back. There’s no way we can!
· The kind of Father we serve on this Father’s Day simply invites us to accept his gift.
· Want to see the size of Father’s love? He invites to come. Ascend the winding path outside of Jerusalem. Follow the dots of bloody dirt until you crest the hill. Before looking up, pause and hear Him whisper, “This is how much I love you.”
· Let us pray.
