Sermon
Lanier Christian Church
June 19, 2011 – Father’s Day
David Simpson
Forward in Faith
Ephesians 3:20,21 and Jeremiah 7:24 AND Ephesians 6:4
Why A Son Needs A Dad by Gregory Lang
A son needs a dad to show him how to shave.
…to teach him how to talk to girls.
A son needs a dad to teach him how to apologize for reckless words
…to pull him back when he is headed in the wrong direction.
A son needs a dad to encourage him when he meets disappointment.
…to teach him that it is wise to seek advice.
…to tell him that ignorance is not an excuse.
A son needs a dad to help him understand it isn’t necessary to be like everyone else.
…to teach him to stand up for himself.
A son needs a dad to teach him that respect must be earned.
A son needs a dad to teach him to honor the woman who loves him.
…to teach him to be honest at all times.
…to teach him that forgiving is always the right thing to do.
A son needs a dad who will show him affection without hesitation.
A son needs a dad to teach him to be respectful of women. To teach him how to be a gentleman…to help him plan for his future.
A son needs a dad to tell him that he is proud of him.
A son needs a dad to tell him that there is no disgrace in losing.
…to help him try again after he has stumbled.
…to show him patience.
A son needs a dad to talk with about the tough decisions he will face.
…to show him how to control his temper.
…to help him learn from his mistakes.
A son needs a dad to teach him that family is more important than work.
A son needs a dad who will discipline him firmly, while loving him relentlessly.
…who will teach him to avoid selfish temptation.
A son needs a dad who will help him face his challenges with confidence.
A son needs a dad to show him how to love others, even when it is hard…to teach him how to maintain dignity in difficult times.
A son needs a dad to be the role model for the father he will become.
A son needs a dad because without him he will have less in his life than he deserves. (Excerpts from “Why a Son Needs a Dad” by Gregory E. Lang)
The Bible says, in Ephesians 6:4 (NLT)
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
I am thankful to the Lord for my father…my dad. He is now 82 years old and not only a dad and granddad but a great grandfather as well. My parents raised me with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. Church has been part of my life for every Sunday of my life since birth. Being a Christian became real to me when I was 12 years old and gave my life to Christ in baptism. I believed then and still believe today that Jesus is my Lord and Savior who died for my sins and is preparing a home for me in heaven.
But, I must be honest. I believe my dedicated Christian parents influenced me when I was young. They influenced me for Christ. Did they brainwash me? No. Did they make my decision for Christ and later for ministry for me? No. Am I apologetic for having a loving Christ-like influence in my childhood at home and at church?
Absolutely not!
When I took my first steps, my mom and dad were there, encouraging me to keep moving forward. And before you know it, I was walking on my own. Next, came running. They always encouraged me to walk and run in a forward direction, not backward.
When I got a little older they provided me with other modes of transportation (stroller, tricycle). And again…they were telling me to keep moving forward.
When I entered school it was a weekly challenge to keep moving forward, keep learning, keep working, keep making good grades.
My grandmother used to give me a quarter at the end of every school year if I “made my rise” to the next grade!
When I became a Boy Scout the challenge remained the same. Keep advancing. Keep working on those merit badges.
When church camp came each summer, it was a challenge to get involved, enjoy the experience, stretch and grow as a young person to know more about Christ beyond church. There I heard missionaries and other preachers and teachers and met other young people who were moving forward in the faith as I was. It was at Camp I met another camper who was later to be my roommate in college and my brother in ministry and dear friend today.
When I was ten years old, it was time to start making an honest living – mowing yards. When I was fifteen my dad said that it was time to get a real job. He preferred me becoming a bag boy at Piggly Wiggly. I preferred the job offer at the Library from the Librarian who happened to be a part of our church family.
In my older teen years, it was my privilege to work with my dad for three summers at his chosen profession – banking. He had taught me to be a good steward of my finances. So my dad opened up a savings account for me when I was born. When I received money for chores, or for my birthday, or on graduation or the jobs I started when I was 10, the money went into the savings account. I was taught not only to save, but to make wise investments, wise purchases. To spend wisely not foolishly. Out of that fund, came the money I bought my 10 speed bike with, my comic books, my baseball cards, my first car, money for my first date, and to get married and start a family. Today I still have that account at Exchange Bank and it has $796.32!!!!
I finally grew up to graduate from high school and make a decision about what to do with my life. Was ministry what my parents wanted for me? No. Mom wanted me to be a dentist and dad had heard me say I wanted to be a lawyer like my cousin and that I wanted to go to UGA like he had and he was happy with that. He knew banking was not for me since I screwed up the mailing of the monthly bank statements one hot July!
I remember the conversation around the kitchen table when I was 17 years old and I announced to my mom and dad that I wanted to pursue ministry as my chosen profession in life: “Are you sure?” they said. “You’ll never have your own house (my preacher lived in a parsonage provided by the church). You won’t have any money. You’ll move from town to town. Some people will like you and others will despise you. There will be lots of demands on your time.”
But they had enough confidence in me to say “If that’s your dream, we’ll support you.” Not only that, they backed their support with faith that the Lord would provide and use me. And the great news is that my dad was one of the elders of the church that ordained me into ministry.
And here we are, almost 40 years after that conversation, living out my dream and the prompting of God in my life… and the Lord my parents introduced me to as a child, has never let me down.
I am grateful for the environment in which I was raised and the church that influenced my life in such a powerful way.
Out of my church of about 120 people (average on Sunday) two of my youth group of about a dozen went into ministry. The generation before me had five go into ministry – one of the ladies still a missionary in Portugal today.
Why tell you all this? Because on this Father’s Day I am reminded of my own father’s desire that I move forward in life, but at the same time stay centered, stay true to who you are. He had worked his way up from being a teller to executive vice president. Never president, because it was a family bank, with family that held that position. When he had the chance to become a bank president in another city he declined, because family and stability was most important to him.
That’s always been my dad’s secret to success. He loved his wife and family. He loved his job and community. He loved His church.
And he has always been committed to excellence in all of them.
And, I believe the secret to the strength of my home church was a loving church family that believed in influencing young people for Christ and moving all ages of God’s people forward in faith.
After all, God created us to move forward didn’t he? He gave us physical features that are meant for forward movement. Feet that point forward. Eyes that point forward. A Nose that points forward. Ears that point forward, etc.
God created us to move forward spiritually in a forward direction as well. I believe it breaks the heart of God when we do not.
Listen to these words from the prophet Jeremiah in our Old Testament:
Jeremiah 7:24
22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.
Doesn’t that sound like a father talking with his children? “Trust me, do what I say, and it’ll all work out!” But the Bible continues…
24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
Like rebellious children they would not listen. The people of God paid no attention to the desire of their heavenly Father. They chose to go backward and not forward.
Folks, that’s not how God made us. That’s not what God has planned for us. That’s not God’s desire. And the people suffered for refusing to move forward in faith.
I was blessed with a great church family growing up. I am blessed with a great church family here today. Not only is our work for the Lord not finished here at Lanier Christian Church, we are only just beginning. We are way passed the baby steps and it’s time to move forward to maturity.
With the encouragement and ideas and prayers of several of our ministry teams and elders, we are going to move forward in faith as our theme and challenge for the next three months as a church.
Our anchor, navigator, finance, and elder teams have recommended that we step out in faith and make an investment in the ministry of Lanier Christian Church…now! After much discussion, meetings and prayer the priorities became clear…
Ministries….where we will offer training, direction, challenge, and appreciation for each of our ministry teams so that we understand the value of serving our Lord and his kingdom.
Our children…to spend some money and make an obvious commitment that says to our children and families: “We want to influence you for Christ.” We want church to be an exciting and meaningful experience for children and youth of all ages. After all, if we are not concerned about moving our children and families forward in their faith, we have gone backward and displeased the Lord. If fact the very life of the church is at stake if we do not minister to our children and influence them for Christ.
Our facilities and appearance…I don’t know about you, but I look in the mirror every day before I come to work. Our ministry teams have looked in the mirror and seen that we have some improvements to make as a church, so we’ve got some exciting work days coming up in late July where we will really spruce things up.
No matter how much you love this church, people outside don’t know we’re here unless we tell them! One of our new families said that we have a good thing going, but we are not promoting it very well. It’s time to change that. It’s time to move forward.
Some more details about our Forward in Faith campaign are available in the brochure we’re handing out today. Take one home and read it and pray for the growth of this church in ministry and purpose and reaching others for our Lord. Pray that this becomes a much needed boost this summer.
When I was a kid my parents gave me one of those push pedal cars. I loved it! It was intended to move me forward. It’s designed that way. But my greatest thrill was when my dad would get behind the car and push me forward with great momentum! And for all you NASCAR racing fans out there and all you dads who love racing cars, most of those guys started out with one of these and they’ll tell you that no car ever won a race moving backward.
Folks, Almighty God intended for us to move forward…in faith…in obedience and dependence on him. He designed us that way. And our greatest thrill comes when we quit doing all the work ourselves and let him propel us forward with momentum through His Holy Spirit.
What caused my parents to live for Jesus and be so committed to the church? What caused me to enjoy growing up at church and pursue full time ministry…. Other than the obvious blessing of God?
We had a church that had a love for God and each other…and…A faith in a mighty God with a clear commitment to influence young lives for Jesus. Let’s not be like those of Jeremiah’s day and refuse to listen or pay attention. Let’s be sensitive to the calling of God on our lives and see lives changed for our Lord because we were faithful to Him.
As Paul said so powerfully… Ephesians 3:
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
This will be our theme verse for this forward in faith campaign. God wants to work within us! We must be willing and ready to be used!
Men and dads – pick up a toy car when you leave today and let it remind you to move forward in your faith. To take great steps for our Lord. And may it also remind us all that we are choosing to not be like those of Jeremiah’s day – we are moving forward in faith – not backward – because it’s His Power at work within us!
I’m excited! I just know God is going to do something wonderful, more than we ask or imagine! Let’s move forward in faith!
