God's Purpose (Father's Day 2018)

GOD’S PURPOSE

Text: Romans 8:28

Our church secretary Paula (at Indian Field UMC) often shares insightful thoughts for the day that come from a daily calendar she has. The one that she shared from May 11, 2018 fits very well with the message for today. It reads… “God’s purpose is greater than our problems”. How many times have we thought the opposite of that notion? Satan lies and magnifies and distorts our problems to appear top be larger than what God can fix. Nevertheless, God, our Heavenly Father always has a plan for us. In fact, even before you were born, God knew the plans He had for us (Jeremiah 29:11).

Today, I want to share with you a father and son story that started off on a rocky foundation that was problematic until God’s greater “purpose” was revealed. We will see two things. We will see the the elements of unfinished business and God’s purpose. Before we get there, lets recall how many things impossible to man are possible to God.

If God can create the world out of nothing and He did; if can make Israel cross on dry ground when Egypt’s army was closing on them and He did; if God can make Sarah to give birth beyond her childbearing years to Isaac and He did; if God can enable Gideon’s army of 300 to beat the Midian army of 135,000 and reduce them to an army of 15,000 and He did; If God can keep Shadrack. Meshack and Abednego from from burning in a fiery furnace, escaping and not even smelling like smoke and He did; if God can help Daniel escape the lion’s den, and He did; If God can give us Jesus through a virgin birth and restore his crucified body and resuscitate Jesus through His resurrection and He did, then beyond the shadow of a doubt as it says in scripture, “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)!

The father and son that I speak of this morning are both famous. Though they were separated for many years, it is more than obvious that God’s “purpose” was at work in bringing them together.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Have you ever known anyone with unfinished business? If the truth is to be told, it is possible that we all have some unfinished business that drives us toward an answer or conclusion. Consider the first two verses of the hymn “Creation’s Lord, We Give Thee Thanks” by William DeWitt Hyde.

Creation’s Lord, we give Thee Thanks …

That this Thy world is incomplete;

That battle calls our marshaled ranks;

That work awaits our hands and feet.

That Thou hast not yet finished man;

That we are in the making still,

As friends who share the Maker’s plan

As sons who know the Father’s will.

Only Jesus Christ can complete---perfect us toward doing God’s will! Like St. Augustine once concluded, “we will be restless until we find our rest in God”.

Frank’s unfinished business: Frank, the dad was born in 1944 and the son, Samuel was born in 1967. It would be eleven years before Samuel found out who his real father was. (Country Weekly magazine, June 21, 1994). It was not until 1985 that Samuel and his father Frank became close.

Frank’s family: Frank and his ex-wife Diane had a son named Matthew and two step sons Christopher and Ian. He had a son Mark McGraw and a daughter and Cari Lynn by his second ex-wife Phyllis. Frank was only twenty three when he met Elizabeth [Betty] d'Agostino; their son, [Samuel] Tim McGraw, was 11 when he learned of his paternity. [Frank] knew of the possibility of [Samuel] Tim at the time, but refused to fully acknowledge the boy and wasn't interested in being a part of his life. The two eventually became close, and [Samuel d'Agostino] Tim took the surname [Frank] McGraw . https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1346860/bio. Even though Frank was not always there for Samuel in his youth, Frank later made amends and became the father he was always meant to be for his son.

The neglected son:

1) Athletic: Samuel was such a good athlete that he was offered scholarships but turned them down to enter the nearby Northeast University in 1989.

2) His major: His first choice for a major was pre-law until his grades discouraged that dream. He changed course and switched to “public relations” as a major and again, he saw from his grades that it was not going to work.

3) A detour: Samuel gave up on college altogether to pursue a career that did not need a college degree. Frank told his boy Samuel that he needed to stay after his college education. Samuel argued and reminded his father Frank that he had left college to pursue his athletic dream only after two years of school. (Country Weekly magazine, June 21, 1994). Samuel found his niche in music.