NOT MANY FATHERS
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
1 Corinthians 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet
have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
Exo. 20:12 HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER: that thy days may be long upon the
land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
I. COME LET US REASON TOGETEHER: IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DAD
AND A FATHER? WHAT IS A REAL FATHER? FATHERS, WHAT ARE YOU SOWING?
A. The greatest NEED OF GOD and our nation today is not for Presidents or Pastors, the
greatest call is for MEN TO ARISE AND BECOME GREAT GODLY FATHERS. Men must see
the need to arise to their high call, and raise children in the fear of God and to love the
church! There is no greater need than a man committed to the cross and the church!
B. Often real fathers go UN-applauded and unappreciated, but God sees.
Mark 3: 35 For whosoever shall DO THE WILL OF GOD, the same shall be my brother, and
my sister, and mother.
C. We all have the opportunity of investing in others and becoming family and father to others.
Few men realize the awesome responsibly of having children.
D. Children are a gift from God, but what you do with the children is your gift back to God.
How sad? No sadder words of pen or tongue, than the words what might have been?
II. WILL THE MEN OF THE CHURCH REALIZE THE NEED OF A PRIEST AND GODLY
FATHER IN THE HOMES... WHAT KIND OF EXAMPLE ARE YOU SETTING? WHAT
KIND OF SEEDS ARE YOU PLANTING?
Galatians 6:7. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of
the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if
we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are
of the household of faith.
A. We need many SPIRITUAL FATHERS in the church! There are many men, but there are
few Godly fathers in the church and this world?
I ponder, WHY? Why are there not many FATHERS?
This lesson will approach the problem of men not seeing the need of a Godly example before
their children.
B. Our goal is to recognize a HIGH CALL ---
Let us arise to the office and calling for FATHERS TO ACCEPT THE CALL AND FILL
THE NEED IN THE CHURCH.
III. THINGS NEEDED TO ILLUSTRATE THIS LESSON.
A. 2-- 40 pound bags of potting soil. (Depends on how many FATHERS you will have.
This will prepare about 60 to 80 bags.)
B. 60 medium Zip Lock baggies. ( Before the service fill the 60 bags with dirt.)
I gave the bags out several service after the special day.
You can accent your points by repetition.
C. 5 or 6 bags of seeds, divide the seeds and place 15 or so seeds in individual baggies .
(I do: Forget me nots, sun flower, corn, mustard. See below for the lesson),
D. Bottle of water.
E. 60 red plastic cups. The cup represents you, the vessel of God.
Red represents the blood of Jesus.
The total cost for me was about $21.00 for 60 to 80 was around.
F. You need a good red plastic glass, a small plastic bag of dirt, small bag with 15
to 20 seeds,
1. HERE IS MY CUP LORD...
I HAVE AN EMPTY VESSEL RED CUP.( I use red plastic cups)
A. I have the KIDS to pass a red cup to every man.
I have written 2015 on the side with a paint pen.
B. My thought:What are you going to do in 2015?
Empty vessels have little use?
B. RED --- Heb. 9:22 without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.
C. The value of the vessel is not within the vessel but the availability to be used and reused.
D. Isa. 64:8 God is the potter, we are the clay.
E. Jer. 18:4 God can use BROKEN, marred vessels, and remake us over and over.
F. The little cup must realize it’s value is in helping growth and bearing fruit.
G. A little cup can not hold much but it can overflow a lot!
2. THE LESSON OF THE DIRT.
A. I had my bags of dirt hidden under a red table cloth on the altar.
Then I have children to deliver to every MAN, because some have no children but
COULD BE spiritual FATHERS.
I have the children to give each man a bag of dirt.
Note: THE DIRT COMES FROM THE ALTAR.
I then gave each one a bag of dirt. There is a great lesson here.
B. Discuss the potential of that dirt. The bag of dirt could help feed the family?
It could be useless?
B. You could throw the dirt at others, but if you throw your dirt, you are the
one loosing ground.
C. The only difference between a mole hill and a mountain is how much dirt you have.
D. Don’t let you dirt become dirt.
Col. 3:18, Husbands love your wife and be not bitter against them.
E. Bad dirt? LOOK AT AHAB AND JEZEBEL...
1 Kings 22:52, parents willfully choose evil.
Each child is sort like this bag of dirt, there is a potential, but someone will have to
invest time, effort, and patience to ever see the potential develop.
3. THE LESSON OF THE SEED.
A. I mix all the packets of seeds in one bowl. This makes a random mixture of seeds.
B. Call the children to the altar, let them pick up a bag of seeds and take to the men.
C. By randomly picking out the seeds, you don’t know what you are getting and this
is true in life, we don’t know many things, we do the best with what we have.
D. You can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the apples in a seed.
E. Sickly oaks from sickly acorns grow.
F. It is not the size of the seed, but the growth of the seed that matters.
G. I often ask God for 2 by 4’s, and gives me a seed and says grow it yourself.
This is a wisdom process.
E. Gal. 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked, for what so ever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap... Don’t expect strawberries in you plant corn?
4. LIFE IS KIND OF LIKE RANDOM SEEDS... LET US US SEVERAL KINDS IN THE BAGS.
A. Forget Me Not seeds... Deut. 4:9, 23 ... life has a way of getting us so busy, we
forget God, HIS WORD and His Law.
Many times FATHERS are forget by their children, yes they are loved by them, just
the kids get so busy in life they forget the investments Momma made in them.
Is it possible to forget that you are building memories today.
B. Sun Flower seeds... Neh. 8:10,
The Joy of the Lord is our strength, we need to be
full of joy and zeal of life.
You can teach depression, anger and bitterness to
your children, it is up to you.
The average child laughs 400 times a day,
the average adult 15, Why what steals the Momma’s
laughter?
C. Corn seed...
John 12:24 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into
the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
The corn seed must go in a wet ground, and get dirty
and cold, and die to grow and reproduce.
To just eat makes fat, but is not necessarily growth.
D. Mustard seed... Mat 13:31,
Faith may appear small, but it can grow and support
life.
5. WATER, ALL KNOW LIFE IS DEPENDENT ON WATER.
A. I have a CANTEEN (CRUISE of water) I tell that life as we know it depends on water.
Water represents the essentials of life.
B. 1 Sam. 26:11-12, while Saul slept, David took Saul’s cruise of water.
Saul had lost the anointing of God. We must guard our hearts and daily walk to keep the anointing
flowing.
C. Rain often comes in small frequent doses.
But occasionally, it comes in a flood.
Sometimes, there are dry spells, but good growth has deep roots. Eph. 3:17.
We need to dig deep spiritual wells for water to sustain us.
6. LIGHT... THE WORLD LOVES DARKNESS...
JESUS IS THE LIGHT --- THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE...
Mat. 5:14-16, all growth grows toward the light.
You cannot separate light from the warmth.
Whatever develops from this dirt, the dirt, these seeds, the cup, will be totally
dependent on the mens’ actions.
Can we are count on you MEN, the church needs to count on you,
your family is counting on you.
The dirt can stay in the bag and mold?
You can lose your seeds?
You can let the cup stay empty?
You can let your seeds grow and never water them, and they will die?
You can care for them carefully and not transplant and go to the next level?
You can grow the seeds, and the plants you grow bear seeds and you could
have the perpetual life cycle.
This does not depend on God this depends on you Mother’s and your efforts?
God is depending on women becoming Mothers.
We must see the spiritual side, you cannot reap if you don’t sow? Sow little reap little? 2 Cor. 9:6.
The reason the are not many fathers is because we can only see the dirt as dirt, and not the potential of the dirt.
8. DANGER ZONE ... PROVOKING.
Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them
up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Don’t tease and incite anger, or stir purposely ... this game will eventually backfire.
This lesson should be approached quickly and not dwell any great length of time in one area.
Perhaps this will become fodder for later lessons.
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Will you help me? Could you pass this on to others?
You might help a little pastor with a thought if you would pass this on to them.
