"Dad's Right Hand"

21 June 2009

Father’s Day

U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris

Fortress Chapel

Contingency Operation Site (C.O.S.) Sykes

Tall-afar, Iraq

BIG IDEA: God’s plan is something people would have never dreamed of when it comes to relationship reconciliation.

REFERENCES: Ephraim (The younger son means “double fruitfulness” – “for God made him fruitful in the land of his affliction”.); Manasseh (The older son); Genesis 37:1-11 (ESV) – Joseph’s Dreams; Genesis 37:12-36 (ESV) Joseph Sold by His Brothers; Genesis 42 (ESV) – Joseph Brothers Go To Egypt; Genesis 48:15-16 (ESV) And he blessed Joseph and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth; Isaiah 55:9 (ESV) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts; Genesis 48:1-22 (ESV); Hebrews 11:21 (ESV) By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff; John 4:5 (ESV) So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph; Joshua 24:32 (ESV) As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph; Proverbs 10:1 (ESV) A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death; Ephesians 6:1-4 (ESV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord; Exodus 20:12 (ESV) Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you; Matthews 20:21-23 (ESV) – A Mother’s Request – Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered “you do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? They said to him, “We are able,”

I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Genesis 48:8-14 (ESV)

II. READ THE PERICOPE: Genesis 48:8-14 (ESV)

III. READ THE TEXT: Genesis 48:14 (ESV) And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).

IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to affirm to others that faith – in relationship reconciliation - recognizes that God’s ways are not man’s ways.

V. SERMONIC THEME: “Dad’s Right Hand”

VI. INTRODUCTION:

Happy Father’s Day 2009 to all of our fathers today.

I also wish a Happy Father’s Day to all of your fathers too. It’s my prayer that all of you – by now - have done right and mailed cards and sent flowers, gifts, (or notes of appreciation) to your natural and spiritual fathers.

Also, we want to encourage you to extend an “Olive Branch” to those fathers and spiritual leaders that – in your opinion – “haven’t been all that and a bag of chips”. For I submit to you today that those fathers did the best they could with what they had. So, I charge you as Christians to do everything you can to reconcile your relationship with your father.

For the Good Book says in Ephesians 6:1-4 (ESV):

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor … your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord; Again, Happy Father’s Day to all fathers!