Sermon Notes,
June 16, 2019 AM
“Father”
Steve W. Reeves
stevewreevessermons.blogspot.com
INTRODUCTION:
A. In
August of 1999 the Elmwood Church of Christ in West Lafayette, Indiana, ran an interesting article in their church bulletin.
JUVENILE
DELINQUENTS - BIG ONES!
Ever feel sorry for a rhinoceros? Now you can. In the South African bush they’re
being attacked by juvenile delinquents. Big ones. Really big ones the size of
elephants. In fact, they are elephants, according to a recent edition of 60 Minutes. In
one season, 10% of the rhino population was wiped out. These have been protected
animals, and the local rangers were hopping mad. But who was killing them? Answer:
elephants. But elephants don’t attack rhinos. But the evidence was strong. Finally
somebody put the puzzle together. Twenty years ago a decision was made to kill
adult elephants and move the young ones to other locations. Now that the young
ones have become teenagers, they are doing strange things like attacking rhinos and
attacking tourist vehicles. Rangers tracked them and saw them in action: the elephants aunted rhinos like 14-year- old schoolyard bullies, then they got nasty, and
finally killed the hapless rhinos. Eventually the offending elephants had to be shot
(there are no reform schools for elephants). But why this bizarre behavior? The
rangers figured it out: these teenage elephants were growing up without male role
models. This apparently created a whole generation of traumatized young elephants
without older males to teach them how to behave.
1. The article concludes by telling how rangers went out and found adult male
elephants who would be surrogate fathers to the younger elephants. The younger
elephants watched the behavior of the big bulls and learned how to act.
2. No more rhinos were killed. No more tourist vehicles were overturned.
B. God intends for fathers to play a crucial role in children’s lives. Within our culture
there is a deliberate effort underway to undermine masculinity and fatherhood.
Fathers are being demeaned, diminished and disrespected. You cannot undermine
fatherhood without affecting society in a negative way.
1. According to the 2010 census, 1 out of every 3 children in U.S. (33%) live
apart from their biological fathers. = 24 million.
2. Children who live absent from their fathers are 2-3 times more likely to be poor,
use drugs and encounter educational, health, emotional, and behavioral problems.
C. The role of “Fatherhood” is also important because it is where the nature of God
intersects with family life in a tangible way.
1. The Old Testament refers to God as “father,” fifteen times.
a. Deuteronomy 32:6 – “Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise
people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?”
b. Isaiah 63:16 – “But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or
Israel acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old
is your name.”
c. Through Jeremiah God said, "I myself said, " 'How gladly would I treat you like
sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.'
I thought you would call me 'Father' and not turn away from following me.”
(Jeremiah 3:19).
2. In the New Testament God is referred to as “Father,” 65 times in Matthew, Mark
and Luke and over 100 times in John.
a. The word Jesus used for “Father” was the Aramaic word, “Abba” that conveys a
loving, intimate relationship.
b. Elsewhere in the New Testament the word for Father is the greek word, “Pater.”
Both “Abba”and “Pater” give us an idea of the close relationship God
longs to have with us.
c. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray he began, “Our Father” (Matthew
6:9; Luke 11:12).
d. In Ephesians 3:14-15 Paul wrote, “For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.”
C. Consider three characteristics of God that are applicable to earthly fathers.
I. LIMITLESS LOVE
A. God love for us is not based on performance. I saw this illustrated recently in an
episode of the “Andy Griffith” show. When Opie brought home all “A’s” on his
report card Andy was so proud he told all of his friends and bought Opie a new
bicycle. When Opie found out the teacher had made a mistake and hee actually
had an “F” in arithmetic, he ran away because he was afraid his “Pa” woulddn’t
love him anymore. When Andy found Opie walking down a road he told him that he
loved him not because of what he did but because he was his son. This is how
God loves us.
1. Jeremiah 31:3 – “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have
drawn you with lovingkindness.”
2. Lamentations 3:22-23 - The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your
faithfulness.”
3. Romans 5:6- 8 – “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for
the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the
good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own
love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us .”
B. Country singer George Strait recorded one of his best known songs in
1990, “A Father’s Love.” The chorus goes: “Let me tell you a secret ,about a
fathers love A secret that my daddy said was just between us. He said daddies
don’t just love their children every now and then. It's a love without end, amen.”
1. The song-writer Aaron Barker, tells the story behind the song. His teenage son
had started driving and had been given strict rules about where he could drive
and who could ride with him. He says. "That night he'd broken both rules - and,
when he hit a curb, a wheel came off and landed on the hood of a new
Porsche.”
2. Barker said that he disciplined his son severely. Later in the evening he
wondered if he had been too harsh. He thought of his own father’s discipline
when he had come home from school after getting in a fight and how his father
told him he loved him. It was then that the words of the song fell into place.
II. FAITHFUL FORGIVENESS
A. As sinful as humanity has been God has always been willing to forgive when we
have turned to Him.
1. Exodus 34:6-7 – “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The
Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding
in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who
forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.”
2. Psalm 85:2-3 – “You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their
sin.”
3. We are reminded in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to
cleanse us from all sin and unrighteousness.”
B. Godly fathers are those who possess forgiving hearts. When I was a junior in high
school I was going over to a friend’s house one evening in my Dad’s pickup. I
started the truck, put it in reverse and backed into my mother’s big, cream-colored
Chrysler. The truck emerged unscated but I nearly ripped the driver’s side door off
of my mother’s car. Though I didn’t get to go to my friend’s house I was thankful
there was forgiveness and I was permitted to drive again.
C. A friend told me a story about her dad. In her late teens this
precious unmarried woman had become pregnant. Her father, an elder in the
hurch, was devastated and upset. However, shortly after learning the news he got
up from the dinner table one night, walked around behind her as she sat and
hugged her. He said, “I forgive you and I promise you that I will
never, ever, bring this up again.” That had been many years earlier and she said
he had never said another word to her about it.
D. Father’s, there is no need to be “historical” with our children. Instead, we need to
offer them the forgiveness we ourselves seek from God.
III. DEPENDABLE DISCIPLINE
A. God does not hesitate to discipline us. Hebrews 12: 5-9 - “My son, do not regard
lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom
He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons;
for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without
discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children
and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we
respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and
live?”
B. The Scriptures repeatedly give us instructions about training and instructing our
children.
1. Deuteronomy 6: 4-7 – “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and
when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
2. Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them
up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
C. Just like the elephants I mentioned at the beginning of this message, if we do not
want our children to behave like “wild Animals” it takes loving, consistent discipline
even as God lovingly disciplines us.
CONCLUSION
A. I hope we have earthly father’s for which we can be thankful. I know we have a
Heavenly Father for which we can give thanks.
B. Will you give your heart, your mind, your body and soul to Him today?
