“When Daddy Doesn’t Go”
Text: Hebrews 11:8-10
I. Introduction
It is an account that we learned in children’s church. Abraham heard the call of God and responds in obedience by leaving his home, friends, and comfort zone to follow. It is a familiar story. It is a story full of truth about faith, trust, and destiny. However, this evening I would like to talk to you about what must happen when daddy doesn’t go.
II. The Uneasy Tension
As long as I can remember there has been an uneasy tension between the older generation and the younger generation of our church. This is true regardless of location. You can travel from East Coast to West Coast and this is true everywhere. New conference or the oldest conference it doesn’t make any difference. This tension often leads to conversations that I often hear as I travel. I hear the younger constituents make indictments against the out of date customs, traditions, structure, and out of touch worship styles of the older generation. I have heard the young generation cry out that I am tired of this and ready for change. Then I would hear the older generation discuss their discomfort with the younger generation’s worship style, volume, fashion sense, and their lack of respect or regard for time tested traditions and systems.
At times it seems that we are at an impasse. An explosive division and conclusion seems unavoidable. A rift seems to simply be a fact of life. The gap seems to be widening and the tension is almost unbearable at times. Anger, anxiousness, offense, defense, accusations, misunderstanding, and miscommunication are the norm. So in most cases we simply try to pacify the old and placate the young. We just try to make everybody a little happy and we end up making everyone a lot miserable. Whether we like it or not or whether we are bold enough to admit it or not there is a gap, a chasm, a canyon of difference. This tension brings me back to the Abraham account that I made reference to earlier.
III. Genesis 11:31
It seems that when we begin dealing with Abraham’s story we always focus and jump directly to Abraham’s response to the call to go to Canaan. However, In Genesis 11:31 we overlook a key player in this faith filled journey. Genesis 11 gives us the account of Abraham’s father Terah. Perhaps Terah received the first call to leave Ur and make his way to Canaan. Perhaps it was the father who received the call before the son. We just don’t know for sure. But what we do know is that Terah gathers his family Abram, Sarai, and Lot and leaves everything behind to begin a journey, according to Genesis 11, to Canaan. The father was on the way to the Promised Land. However, the Word tells us that when Terah reached Haran he pitched his tent and stayed there until he died. When Terah left Ur he set out on a journey to Canaan which was 1000 miles away. But 500 miles into the trip he stops and establishes a home for himself. It is an easy conclusion to make that Abraham knew that when they began the journey they were headed for Canaan. When they reached Haran Abraham would have known that they had not yet reached their final destination. He would have known that 500 miles was short of the 1000 they were supposed to travel. It is from this information that I believe I have a word for you. In order for us to bridge the gap, in order for us to reach the Promised Land and fulfill our destiny as a people and as a church we must learn from what takes place in Genesis 11. In order for us to bring healing to the rift, and to allow generations to walk in harmony we must learn the lessons from this account.
IV. Lessons
A. Son stayed with the father and celebrated him
The first thing I notice is that when Terah arrived in Haran and decided to stay there Abraham stayed with him. Abraham didn’t pack his bags; throw a fit, and voice accusations about settling for less. He didn’t belittle the journey his father had taken. He didn’t rebel against his father’s land. No he made his father’s land his land. He stayed with his father and became fruitful and expanded the kingdom. We can come to that conclusion because when it was time to leave Abraham, according to Gen. 12, left with all the possessions and people they had accumulated while in Haran.
It is time for some sons to understand that our fathers have brought us 500 miles. That is 500 miles further than we would have gotten without their help, perseverance, and vision. We are further now than we would have been if we had not had fathers who were willing to leave the comfortable place and start on this journey. They heard from God and got up and did something. We don’t give them the credit they deserve.
Law of Celebration
Too many of us have ridden the hard work, the prayer life, the battles that our fathers have fought and now we want to stomp and pout when we haven’t gone as far as we think we should have gone. But Abraham stayed. He
didn’t stomp off in rebellion. He didn’t boycott when he didn’t like the surroundings and the distance they had come. He didn’t diminish what his father had done. He didn’t just patronize Terah. He didn’t just grudgingly deal with him. Abraham stayed by his father.
It is time for some sons to tout the pioneers. I hear sons criticizing and critiquing fathers but I just don’t hear many sons giving credit to those who paved the way. Repent of rebellion and bless those who brought us this far. It is time for some sons to go back and thank J.H. King. Walter Nash, G.F. Taylor, Paul Hopkins, Rev. Carlton Piper, Rev. John Swails, John Ingham , Dr. Doug Beacham, and now your current leaders for a foundation (time to go back and brag about foundation). It is time to recognize and celebrate the heritage that they established through blood, sweat, and tears. Maybe in your opinion or estimation they settled for less or stopped short of the promise, but I encourage you to hold your tongue and realize that we would still be back there somewhere except for the trip that they started for us.
We aren’t just receiving a harvest we are receiving an inheritance. A harvest is something we receive due to our own work and our own planting. An inheritance is the result of something someone else has done. Canaan is not a harvest it is an inheritance that we get to because of those who have gone before us.
B. Son stayed but didn’t settle
Son stayed there but didn’t settle there. He didn’t settle for his father’s land. He inhabited his father’s land. He prospered in his father’s land. He grew in his father’s land. But he did not settle in his father’s land. Just because you are in the system doesn’t mean you have to be of the system. It is time for some Joshuas to rise up and possess. We have looked at the Promised Land from a distance for too long.
Joshua stood up and said I refuse to serve the gods of your father. I refuse to settle for dead tradition or political systems. I refuse to settle short of the promise. I understand that I can not get to the future by living in the past. I understand that I can get to the inheritance in the system as long as I don’t serve the system. I am called to go to the promise by serving the Lord in His way, His method, and His system!
Just because dad won’t or doesn’t go. Just because heritage says no. Just because a tradition settles short does not mean that you have to stay there. Respect, celebrate, and then move. There is comfort in the gods of your father but inheritance is found by moving forward in God’s way.
You may have to leave some things behind. You may have to leave some people behind, but it is imperative for you to get up and go. It is time for some sons to celebrate the father, celebrate the foundation and what got us this far, but is also time for some sons get up and go. We have a destiny to claim. We have a purpose and a promise to possess. You can’t get the promise and stay here. You can’t get the promise and dwell in your father’s land. You have to get up and move.
C. Fathers
And likewise it is time for some fathers to release their sons to go farther. Don’t bind with chains of tradition. Don’t bind or restrict to “we’ve never done it that way.” We have to be willing to look at our sons and even though they don’t look, sound, preach, or dress like us we must realize our destination is the same. We must cheer them on to go higher and farther. I am talking about removing the restriction of man made traditions not God given standards. The son needs to have the blessing of the father. We can’t go unless you send us. We can’t possess unless you cheer us on and release us from your land so that we can go and find THE LAND!
Pastor Tony Miller spoke last year at a camp meeting in Alabama and we received word back that during a service God gave him a word. Part of that word was this:
The Pentecostal Holiness Church is blessed with a powerful, talented pool of young people. They are anointed of God. I travel among many groups of people, including Pentecostal organizations, and I find such a wealth of talented, young leaders emerging in this denomination.
As seasoned leaders, you need to be recognizing and celebrating the generation that is coming behind you. They desire to take possession of what God has promised to you. Your responsibility is not to compete with each other, but to connect with each other, and those of you who have paved the way need to say: ‘I want to mark the next generation with covenant. I want to see them succeed.’”
I believe the word that God gave me to give to you as a father is that it is time to take the restrictor plates off!!! Race cars have restrictor plates put on them to keep them under control and from going as fast as they can. I believe it is time for some fathers to take the restrictor plates off the sons and release them to go faster and further. We need you to get behind us and push us, cheer us, and fan the fire and the God-given desire for more! Don’t try to convince us to reside in your land. Don’t try to get us to settle for what is comfortable to you. Allow us to grow and prosper and then push us toward the Promise Land!
V. Close
Malachi 4:6 teaches us that He desires to turn the hearts of the fathers to the son and the sons to the father.
That is what I believe is going to happen tonight. A healing of the rift, the division, and the canyon is going to take place. Sons are going to celebrate the journey and faith of the fathers. Sons are going to get up and move toward the promise, while fathers bless, cheer, and release them to move forward.
Sons – go to an elder and repent for rebellion. Or at the very least repent for diminishing or ignoring their journey. Thank them for paving the way. Bless them for their sacrifice!
Fathers – lay your hands on the sons and begin to release them. Take the restrictor plates off. Pray over them and ask God to move them to the promise. Cheer them on to new territory and new exploits. They need your blessing.
