LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
INTRODUCTION
Happy Father’s Day! We’re planning to cook some burgers and just hang out as a family this afternoon. I’m really looking forward to that. But I think my biggest Father’s Day present will be tomorrow when we pick up our son at the airport! It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 months already!
You know, fathers are a strange breed. How many of you have daughters? If your daughters are older, you probably remember when young men would come a-callin’. If your daughters are still young, this is something you get to look forward to.
ILL: My wife told me of when she and her brother were staying at her grandma and grandpa’s place when she was 16, and a young man was coming over to see her and watch some TV. Her grandpa had no teeth, was missing his thumb from a hunting accident, and had lost a leg from a work accident. He was sitting in the living room without his teeth in because he didn’t like to wear them. My wife tells him to go in and put his teeth in, so he goes into the bathroom and comes hopping back out on one leg with a big toothy smile on his face. “Grandpa! What are you doing? Go put your leg back on!” Grandpa hops back to the bathroom and comes walking back with a big toothless grin. “Grandpa! I need you to wear your leg AND your teeth!” He says, “You’re only 16. He’s only gonna get one or the other! When you get married, I’ll wear both!”
I think there’s a special “daddy gene” that kicks in whenever a man has a daughter or granddaughter. We know all too well from personal experience what young men can be like.
ILL: We have a family rule that any young man who wants to take my daughter out must come to the house and ask my permission in person. We also apply this rule to our boys that they must ask a young lady’s father for permission before they can take her out on a date. Several years ago, a young man comes over to ask my permission to date our daughter. I was on my best behavior that day, and only put him to work helping me assemble a bunk bed before giving him permission. He wasn’t so fortunate during one of his other visits to the house. You see, I have a machete that I brought back from a mission trip to Nicaragua. This young man is standing in the hallway, and I jump out of the bedroom while pulling the machete from its scabbard saying, “Hey, do you want to see my machete?” He screams and is out the front door faster than I’ve ever seen anyone move before or since. One of my prouder daddy moments.
Dads (and moms)… Have you ever had that moment when you did or said something to your child, and then the realization hits you… Oh no! I’ve become just like my father (or mother for you ladies).
No matter how hard we may try to be different from our parents, there are some things (both good and bad) that seem to creep into our own personalities. We are imitating our parents!
I’ve even found myself using some of the same “sayings” that my dad used on me. One of my all-time favorites is, “Go ask your mother”.
Or what about:
“When I was your age…”
“Don’t make me stop this car!”
“If you don’t stop crying, [pause & let congregation finish the statement] I’ll give you something to cry about”
“I’m not sleeping, I’m [pause & let congregation finish the statement] just resting my eyes.”
Sounds like you had the same father I did!
While we naturally pick up traits and behaviors from our earthly parents, we are also children of God… at least those of us who have placed our trust in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.
Turn in your Bibles this morning to 1 Corinthians 4:14-17. [READ]
The Apostle Paul is writing this to the church in Corinth, which was a seriously troubled church. Though they were true believers, they had a lot of growing up to do.
Paul speaks to them not as their teacher, but as a father. As I was reading these passages earlier this week, I got to verse 21 and just started laughing out loud. Verse 21 says:
“What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod (of discipline), or in love and a spirit of gentleness?” (1 Cor. 4:21)
Doesn’t that sound like something a daddy would say? “Would you rather have a spanking, or are you going to straighten up?”
Imitate me… Walk as you see me walk… Speak as you hear me speak.
Several chapters later in chapter 11 verse 1, Paul also says:
“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1)
Paul knows he’s not perfect. But like a good father, he’s telling these believers to follow his lead in doing their best to imitate Christ in thought, word, and deed.
Like father, like son.
Even God the Son imitates God the Father. In John 14:9, Jesus says:
“Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9)
Like Father, like Son.
So what does it look like to “imitate Christ”? The call to imitate Christ is for every believer, but this morning I want to slant this toward us men, and especially toward fathers and you guys who may someday become fathers.
I. IMITATE HIS LOVE
The most important trait or characteristic of Christ that we should imitate is His love! Let’s look at three different aspects of Jesus’ love…
A. Imitate His Love for God
Jesus was without sin, and so completely fulfilled the Law. When asked which of the commandments is the greatest, Jesus responds with:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)
Jesus would regularly set aside time to pray and to be with God. He spent time fasting before starting into His public ministry and calling His disciples.
Fathers… Men… We are to imitate Christ. Our greatest commandment is no different than anyone else’s… We must truly and intentionally make God our top priority. We must fight for and protect time to spend with God in worship, in prayer, in fasting, in the study of His word.
If your children are imitating you, dads, are you showing them what it looks like to love God?
B. Imitate His Love for His Bride
Jesus loves and adores His Bride, the Church! The concept of marriage between a man and his wife and the relationship between Christ and His Church are closely intertwined. Men, your relationship with your wife is the example showing everyone what Jesus’ love looks like toward His Church!
We see this clearly in Ephesians 5:25-33…
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:25-33)
If your children are imitating you, dads, are you showing them what it looks like to love your bride? Are you giving them a good example of what Jesus’ love for His Church looks like?
C. Imitate His Love for Others
Compassion… Jesus had love and compassion for people. There are so many examples of this in the four Gospels that it would take too much time to list. Here are just a few from the book of Matthew…
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:14)
I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. (Matthew 15:32)
So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. (Matthew 20:34)
Jesus was moved with compassion for the Samaritan woman; for children; for those who were hungry and thirsty; for the sick, lame, diseased, and blind; for sinners and tax collectors; for the people of Jerusalem knowing they would ultimately reject Him. Jesus loves people… ALL people.
We are to imitate His love for other people.
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (John 15:12-13)
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18)
If your children are imitating you, are you showing what it looks like to love other people?
ILL: There once was a family who had sat down together to share an evening meal with some friends who they had invited over. Their daughter was no longer living at home, so they were surprised when she walked into the house, went straight to the kitchen, and started putting a meal together in a plastic container. “What a pleasant surprise!”, the mom said. “Are you joining us for dinner?” “No” said the daughter. “I’m just putting together a hot meal to take to a homeless man that I saw sitting down by the Post Office.” And then she walks out with a hot meal and drink in hand.
II. IMITATE HIS SELFLESSNESS
Compassion isn’t just an emotion. Compassion drives you to take action, which brings us to the final way that we are to imitate Christ… We are to imitate His selflessness.
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:1-8)
It is so incredibly easy to be selfish. Especially when you’re tired or hungry or not feeling well. Many times, being selfless instead of selfish requires an act of the will. You must purpose in your heart that you’re going to put the needs of others ahead of your own. Don’t wait for selflessness to just come upon you naturally on its own.
When you live selflessly, you readily forgive others… serve others… give of yourself to others. When you invest in the lives of others instead of investing in yourself, you are imitating Christ!
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
We humans are naturally selfish. It’s not a learned trait… It’s something we’re born with. You see it even in little toddlers who can barely speak. Me! Mine! No! I don’t want to!
If your children are imitating you, moms and dads, what are they imitating? Selfish or selfless?
There’s a story about how God made dads that goes something like this:
When the Lord was creating fathers he started with a tall frame. And an angel standing nearby said, “What kind of father is that? If You’re going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won’t be able to shoot marbles without kneeling. He won’t be able to tuck a child in bed without bending. He won’t even be able to kiss a child without stooping?” And God Smiled and said, “Yes, but if I make him child size, who will the Children have to look up to?” (Erma Bombeck)
Like father, like son.
The English poet, William Wordsworth, sums it up like this:
“Father! — to God himself we cannot give a holier name.”
CONCLUSION
Regardless of what kind of example your own earthly father was for you, whether good or bad, we must imitate Christ. Church, let’s imitate Christ’s love and selflessness.
When we imitate Christ, we are showing the rest of the world what our Heavenly Father is like.
I don’t want to burden you with guilt or a list of do’s and don’ts. However, I do want you to examine yourself using the mirror of God’s word.
First, examine whether you are even a child of God to begin with. If you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, then you are still dead in your sins. It’s impossible for you to imitate Christ without the power of the Holy Spirit. [gospel presentation]
If you are a child of God, but don’t feel like you’re measuring up… there’s only one thing I want you to focus on… the most important thing above all other things… if you tackle this one thing, then everything else will fall into place for you… Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Ignore all other things and do this, and then watch God do some amazing things in your life! I personally struggled with this one for years, and I’m finally starting to get it. It’s so simple… but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Let’s pray… [PRAY]
