Braveheart: God's Looking For A Few Good Men

BRAVEHEART: GOD’S LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN

Father’s Day 2008

OPENING: Happy father’s day! Today we want to honour dads.

INTRODUCTION: THE MEN’S THESAURUS (JUST FOR FUN)

When a man says: "IT’S A GUY THING"

- He means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with this, and you have no chance at all of making it logical"

When a man says: ’OH, DON’T FUSS, I JUST CUT MYSELF. IT’S NO BIG DEAL"

- He means: "I have probably severed a limb, but I will bleed to death before I admit I’m hurt, so get over here and help me!"

When a man says: “I HEARD YOU.”

- He means: "I haven’t the foggiest clue what you just said and I am hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you’ll not spend the next 3 days yelling at me."

When a man says: "YOU LOOK TERRIFIC!"

- He means: "Oh please don’t try on one more outfit, we’re late and I’m starving."

When a man says: "I’M NOT LOST. I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE.’’

- He means: "No one will ever see us alive again."

OPENING TEXT:

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” (Ezekiel 22:30).

“The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” (Matt. 11:12).

“Men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 15:26).

THE BIG IDEA: God’s looking for a few good men. Men who are willing to become brave in heart, to risk their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you be one of those men?

QUOTE: “I’ve noticed that so often our word to boys is don’t. Don’t climb on that, don’t break anything, don’t be so aggressive, don’t be so noisy, don’t be so messy, and don’t take such crazy risks. But God’s design – which He placed in boys as a picture Himself – is a resounding yes. Be fierce, be wild, be passionate… In the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.” (John Eldredge, Wild at Heart).

FATHERLESS FACTS:

1. According to 72.2 % of the U.S. population, fatherlessness is the most significant family or social problem facing America

2. An estimated 24.7 million children (36.3%) live absent their biological father

3. Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse

4. Three out of four teenage suicides occur in households where a parent has been absent

5. Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school

• These statistics tell me that fathering is absolutely important and essential today!

• To those children from single parent families – we will help (the church and God)

• This is why I feel its so important we have fathers teaching in KidZone!

(Source: http://www.fathersloveletter.com/Ministry/statistics.html).

BIBLE STORY:

“7 Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, 8 and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night. 10 Then Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall." 11 And our adversaries said, "They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease." 12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, "From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us." 13 Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” (Nehemiah 4:7-14).

1. Just as Nehemiah was building the walls around Jerusalem, God has called us as fathers to build our families (v.7)

2. Just as the Jews had enemies who were trying to stop them, we have an enemy named the devil who wants to destroy our families as well (v.8).

3. If we want to win the battle against the enemy, we must be men of prayer (v.9).