Father's Day Top 10

INTRODUCTION

SERMON

X. COURAGE

A. Courage is an important trait for the Christian father to possess. We are called to be men of courage. A man of courage will have the courage to walk with God. A man of courage will trust in the Lord when times are tough and when they are good.

1. It is tempting for us to live by sight instead of by faith in God.

2. There is a game that kids play where you take them and pair them up and you blind fold one of the kids and tell them to run through the woods while the other one tells them where to go. For instance the one without the blind fold tells the kid who is running blind folded through the woods when to turn to the left and right and when to jump over obstacles

3. Some of the kids will run as fast as they can through the woods, trusting that the one directing them will not let them run into a tree.

4. Other kids walk very slowly through the woods, not trusting the one instructing them.

5. Other kids are tempted to take off the blind fold because they are too afraid to play.

B. A good father will have the courage to follow Jesus and allow Him to direct his paths. Bill Hybels writes. “Cowards do not last long on their spiritual pilgrimages. They shrivel up and disappear. It takes enormous courage to repent and become a Christian. It takes enormous courage to follow God’s leading in the Christian life!”

C. “Some of His callings demand the best that you can muster. Some of His tests stretch you to the limit. Some of His adventures evoke great fears and doubts. Truly, spiritual courage is on the endangered character-quality list!”

D. Are you ready to run through the woods with God? Proverbs 3:5-6

XI. COMMITMENT

A. We live in an age where commitment is cheap. It’s cheap in marriage (till bad times do we part.), business, politics and athletics. Commitment in sports is cheap when a running back signs a six-year, multi-million dollar contract, then three years into it, they don’t show up for training camp because they want to renegotiate that contract. Why do they want to renegotiate it? Because the old contract was not convenient for him, because other people are making more money. MICHEAL JORDAN.

B. In our day when commitment is not convenient, we ditch it. When we commit our lives to the Lord, it is for a life time, even when it is not convenient.

C. When a boy has a father who is committed to his mother will have a tremendous advantage when he becomes a husband. A boy who has a father who is committed to Jesus will also have an advantage, because the odds are, they will be committed also.

D. As Christian fathers, let us model commitment to Jesus by having our children in church with us every Sunday. There will be times when we will be sick, but let’s put Jesus first.

E. Burton Hillis said, “ There’s a mighty big difference between good, sound reasons, and reasons that sound good.”

VIII. VISION

A. Proverbs 29:18 in the KJV says that where there is no vision, people perish.

B. In Luke 7:24-28 Jesus spoke to the people after John the Baptist left and asked them what they came into the desert to see? READ JOHN 7:24-28.

1. Jesus said that the people came to see a prophet. A prophet was also called a seer, because they could look past the immediate to the ultimate. He has been given the perspective of God Himself, being able to see the meaning behind the events!

2. In our day we are so busy with the now, we cannot seem to look past it. We cannot look out and see the long term consequences for what we do now.

3. A man with vision can look at situations that come up in the life of his family and realize good bad or ugly, the situation can bring glory to God.

4. A seer is a real man, the kind of gifted person we need in our families, homes, work places and society!

VII. ACCOUNTABILITY

A. Reggie White (The Minister of Defense. All Pro Defensive end for the G.B Packers), says that after the Lord, He is accountable to his wife. He says that I know that I can depend on her to tell me like it is. He said that God uses Sara to affirm or negate whatever may surface in my life.

B. As Christian men we are accountable to God for our families. He did not make you the head of the house so that you could neglect His children by not taking the role seriously. God has called you to be the spiritual head of the house.