Find Joy Through Family Pt 3

Opening Video: Dad’s Duck Tape!

Happy Father’s Day!

Sermon: Finding Joy in the Journey through Family! Pt 3

Focus: We have decided to focus on the family this month of summer to celebrate and learn how to build healthy biblical families!

Thesis: We need to learn the keys to having a healthy biblical family if we want to fend off the attack of the enemy on our families. If we want to experience joy in the journey of life! Today we follow the teaching of the Bible and we honor our dads for Father’s Day. Dads are to be honored because God created dads with different qualities then mom’s but both are part of God’s plan for the health of the family.

Scripture Texts:

Deut. 6:4-8: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Colossians 3:21: “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”

I Thess. 2:11-12: “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”

Introduction:

Dad’s are unique in the way they interact with the family. Listen to some dadism’s sayings you may have heard your own dad say:

“Where you born in a barn?”

"Get in and get out."

"Quit talking about it and do it."

"You'd better stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about."

"Don't make me turn this car around."

"Keep on plugging."

"It never hurts to ask."

“Do you think I am made of money?

“Do you think money grows on trees?”

“Don’t make me come up there!”

“Don’t get smart with me!”

“Who said life is fair?”

"Payback time, buddy!"

How important are you dad’s? Listen to this poem I heard a few years ago about dads:

Maggie’s Poem

Do you know, do you understand,

that you represent Jesus to me?

Do you know, do you understand,

that when you treat me with gentleness

It raises the question in my mind

that maybe He is gentle too?

Maybe He isn’t someone who laughs

when I am hurt.

Do you know, do you understand

that when you listen to my question

and you don’t laugh, I think,

“What if Jesus is interested in me too?”

Do you know, do you understand

that when I hear you talk about arguments

And conflicts and scars

from the past, that I think,

“Maybe I am just a regular person

instead of a bad, no good little girl

who deserves abuse.”

If you care, I think maybe He cares.

And then there’s this flame of hope

that burns inside of me for a while

I am afraid to breathe because it might go out

and I will once again have nothing

But a God who mocks and laughs

and ignores me.

Do you know, do you understand

that your words are His words?

Your face, His face

to someone like me.

Please be who you say you are.

Please God, don’t let this be another trick.

Please let this be real

Please.

Do you know, do you understand

Who you are?

Copyright Maggie Gross 6/23/94

Maggie shared this poem at a convention I was at. It was riveting and full of compassion and insight. Dads and those who are fatherly figures in the church listen again to her question, “Do you know, do you understand who you are?” Father figures do impact children and families!

T.S.: Dads are just as important as moms are in building healthy biblical family units. Today We are going to look at another key in creating healthy biblical families and it’s connected with being good godly parents:

I. The 5th key is you need to be a good godly parent.

a. A good godly parent is one who does the following: You have your spiritual life in order first and foremost – it means you are focused on being like Jesus. This means that your spiritual commitment directs your life and the way you respond to life issues and to parenting.

i. The key is you need to have a strong faith in God and be willing to pass it on to your kids. You need to be their teacher and role-model of the faith walk.