Father's Day: Raising Children Of Faith

FATHER’S DAY: RAISING CHILDREN OF FAITH

2 TIMOTHY 1: 1-14

JUNE 19, 2005

INTRODUCTION: THE WRITING OF A VERY SMART 6 YEAR OLD: ON VALENTINES DAY MY DADDY WILL TURN 45. LAST VALENTINES DAY, WHEN I WAS IN THE 1ST GRADE MY DADDY WWAS 44. WHEN I AM IN 2ND GRADE HE WILL BE 45 THEN 46 THEN 47! HE WILL GET OLDER AND OLDER. Then HE WILL BE A GRANDPA THEN HE WILL DIE. THAT IS THE CYCLE OF LIFE. IT IS SAD ISN’T IT. CIRCLE YES OR NO. THANK YOU. THE END.

I can’t divulge the name of this special child, but doesn’t what she wrote grip you? What perspective?

Darryl Worley Song: If Something Should Happen

Buddy you and me go way back Camp all June, all through highschool and before that.

So I don’t mind tellin you I’m scared to death. The doctor is goin in on the 25th It’s the same thing my daddy had Thank God they caught it fast. But if something should happen

Stop in some time and say hello to Catherine You and Marianne could always keep her laughing Because shes gonna need a lot of that Take her out to a movie It’s gonna take sometime before shes back on her feet. I know you think I’ll be fine and I’m talkin crazy

But theres always that chance That’s why I’m askin If something should happen Little Nathan is growing up so fast This November he’ll turn 10 He wants to play quarterback.

I’m supposed to coach his team this fall But I may not get to afterall He’s gonna need someone to catch a pass And to throw it back If something should happen Oh promise me you’ll take that boy out campin Throw a line out in the water every now and then Answer and questions that he has Maybe once he gets older You can sit and have that first cold beer together And tell him a couple stories on his father He’s always known your my best friend. That’s why I’m askin If something should happen I hope I live until I’m 80 And I get to see my son get married And have some babies And make a million more memories with my wife. Yeah buddy I pray alright But if it’s my time to leave Could you watch over them for me? If something should happen If something should happen If something should happen If something should happen If something should happen If something should happen

TRANSITION THOUGHT: TODAY WE CELEBRATE FATHERS! FOR SOME THIS IS A DAY OF CELEBRATION. TODAY MANY OF YOU THINK FOUNDLY OF YOUR FATHERS AND CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THEM IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY. FOR SOME, THIS IS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE. DAD ISN’T HERE AND YOU SURE DO MISS HIM. HE WAS A GREAT DAD! FOR SOME, THOUGH, DAD SURE WASN’T MUCH. EITHER YOU DIDN’T KNOW HIM, OR WISH YOU DIDN’T. OUR TEXT FOR TODAY TAKES US ON A LITTLE DIFFERENT JOURNEY AS WE THINK ABOUT DADS. TODAY, WE DO CELEBRATE FATHERS, BUT THE FOCUS IS GOING TO BE ON SPIRITUAL FATHERS! NOW DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE ARE FORGETTING OUR BIOLOGICAL DADS, HOPEFULLY NOT! HOPEFULLY EACH OF OUR DADS WAS A MAN WHO TAUGHT US ALL ABOUT JESUS AND THEY ARE WHY WE KNOW THE LORD.

BUT OFTEN THIS ISN’T TRUE, AND MEN, I BELIEVE IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MODEL WHAT IT IS TO KNOW JESUS THAT ALL WHO COME BEHIND US CAN FIND US FAITHFUL. TODAY I WANT US TO THINK ABOUT BEING SPIRITUAL FATHERS WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE BIOLOGICAL FATHERS OR NOT!

THESIS SENTENCE: OUR FATHER CALLS ALL MEN TO RAISE UP CHILDREN OF FAITH REGARDLESS OF THE DNA!

RAISING CHILDREN OF FAITH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DNA V. 2

DR. ROBERT BLACK: A FATHER IN THE FAITH! A GOD THING! REV. JACK FUNDERBURK DR. J. R. MITCHEL SPIVEY SHERRIN, BAKE GARMAN, DAVID BRADSHAW, REV. JEREMIAH ROBINSON AND ON IT GOES! WHO ARE THE SIGNIFICANT MEN OF GOD WHO HAVE BEEN YOUR SPIRITUAL FATHERS??

THIS IS NO DISCREDIT TO THE HOME, BUT OFTEN YOUNG MEN ARE LOOKING FOR ROLE MODELS OUTSIDE THE HOME! MAYBE THIS IS A VALIDATION OF WHAT THEY SAW AT HOME, BUT NEEDED TO BE CONFIRMED IN THE “REAL WORLD”?

THIS COULD ALSO BE THE REALITY OF THE HOME! MAYBE MOM LOVES THE LORD, BUT DAD DOESN’T HAVE TIME FOR THE CHURCH THING? MAYBE DAD HASN’T MODELED FOR YOU WHAT A CHRISTIAN IS SUPPOSED TO BE?

OUR TEXT TAKES US INTO THE LIFE OF A YOUNG MAN, THE SCRIPTURES MAKE IT CLEAR HE IS YOUNG (I TIMOTHY 4: 12). HE IS ALSO CALLED A SON, BUT BY A MAN WHO IS NOT HIS FATHER! HE IS A SON IN THE FAITH! JUST AS JESUS ADOPTS US INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD, ONCE WE ARE IN, OTHER ADOPT US INTO THEIR FAMALIES!