Champion Level Fathers
If you have your Bible, please open it to Hebrews Chapter 11. A little child that was in church for the first time watched as the ushers passed the offering plates. When they neared the pew where he sat, the youngster piped up so that everyone could hear: "Don't pay for me Dad, I'm under five."
Today, we celebrate an especially important holiday... Father`s Day. I thank God for Godly Fathers. Fathers that follow the Lord with everything they have. I believe in today's time and world; we need more Godly Fathers. Let us look at Hebrews Chapter 11 starting in verse 1.
READ HEBREWS 11:1-3
If you look on the screen behind me, you will see that the title of my message today is “Champion Level Fathers.” So, the question is how does a father reach that Champion Level in Fatherhood. I believe that Hebrews Chapter 11 shows us what that looks like. Hebrews Chapter 11 is often referred to as the Bible Hall of Fame. In the Bible Hall of Fame, the author of Hebrews lists out and mentions many of the people mentioned in the Old Testament. In verses 4 to 32, we see 9 different requirements to be a Champion Level Father.
1. It requires faith like Abel
READ HEBREWS 11:4
Genesis Chapter 4 shows the story of Cain and Abel. It tells us that Cain and Abel both gave an offering to God and Abel`s offering was accepted while Cain`s was rejected. Abel offered to God the best that he had while Cain did not. Abel did not offer his best to make his brother look bad. He did not do it to make himself look good, but he did it because of his love and respect for God. His love for God led him to give God the very best that he had and because of that, Abel is mentioned in the Bible Hall of Fame, and he was called righteous.
Fathers, if you want to reach that Champion Level, you must be like Abel. You must give God your very best in everything that you do. A Champion Level Father is someone who pursues the Lord more than anyone or anything else. Yes, your family is important, but not as important as your relationship with God. Cain did not offer his best to God and because of that, his offering was rejected. Trust me, when you begin to give your all to God, people notice. Your family will notice and often times, it will cause your family to do the same. Living your life for God could have a direct impact on how your family lives their life. Give your all and give your best to God. If more men in this country would do that in this country, I believe everything would change. If only we had more men and more fathers who were after God`s own heart. This country would have a revival that nobody could ever put out. Fathers today I challenge you to be like Abel and give God everything you have because God gave His only Son for you.
2. It requires faith like Enoch
READ HEBREWS 11:5-6
In Genesis Chapter 5, we see the story of Enoch. While the Bible does not say a lot about Enoch, it does mention something important. Enoch lived his life in such a way with God that he did not die. Like Abel, Enoch gave his very best to God every single day. Can you imagine what would happen if we all walked that close with God? Like I mentioned earlier, a revival would break out. Now, I do not mean some weeklong church event, but a real revival where people's lives are forever changed. A Champion Level Father will not only give his best to the Lord, but he will also walk closely with God. There is this quote by C.S Lewis which is one of my favorite quotes that says this:
“My prayer is that when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am out of the fight.”
Fathers, my challenge to you is for you to live your life in such a way that when the time comes for you to depart from this Earth, all of hell rejoices that you are gone. If hell rejoices at your death, that means that you lived your life the right way. A way that pleased God. When Jesus died, I believe that hell rejoiced. When Paul died, I believe that hell rejoiced. When you die, will hell rejoice? Living your life like the world will not cause hell to rejoice. You must live your life like Christ and walk closely with Him. Fathers live your life in such a way that all of hell will rejoice when the Lord calls you home. Do it not only for you but do it for your family also. Being a Champion Level Father requires you to have faith like Enoch.
3. It requires faith like Noah
READ HEBREWS 11:7
In Genesis Chapters 6 to 12, we see the story of Noah, the ark, and the flood. Do not worry, we are not going to talk about Noah like we did last Sunday. I want y`all to just think about the faith of Noah for a minute. God told Noah that He was going to completely destroy and flood the Earth because of the wickedness, violence, and corruption that was in it. I do not know about y`all, but I would be a little worried right here. I mean destroying everything and everyone on the Earth includes me, my family, and everything I own. Instead of worrying, Noah remained calm and trusted God. Then God told Noah to build this massive boat called the Ark. In modern measurements, the Ark would be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall. That is a large project for just one man. Instead of worrying and complaining about how he was going to do it, he remained faithful and trusted God. While building the Ark, Noah was mocked, belittled, and outcast but his faith and trust in God never wavered. Even when it seemed scary, impossible, and socially wrong, Noah did what he was called to do because he knew how great his God is.
We need more men like Noah. We need more fathers like Noah. Fathers that still serve God and do what He has called them to do no matter how scary it may be. No matter how overwhelming or impossible it may be. No matter how unacceptable it may be by the world, we need more fathers to step up like Noah did and be the Spiritual Leaders that God has designed and told them to be. This might offend some of you, but men are called by God to be the leaders in the families and that includes being Spiritual Leaders. Men, your family will follow where you lead them. Right now, where are you leading them to? Are you leading them to Christ? Noah's family saw what Noah was doing and how he was serving and obeying the Lord and they joined him in doing so. Noah was a Champion Level Father. He led his family, and he led them to Christ. Are you doing the same?
4. It requires faith like Abraham
READ HEBREWS 11:8-9
In Genesis 12, we see the call of Abram. In Genesis 17, God changes Abram`s name to Abraham. In Genesis Chapter 12, God tells Abraham to get everything he owns and move to this far away country. It is estimated that Abraham had to travel around 1,600 miles to where God told him to go. That would be like walking from Florida to New York and then walking back to Florida. Think about that... 1,600 miles. Folks it is not like today; they did not have these nice cars with air conditioning back then. At best, he might have ridden a donkey but even then, he would not have been able to ride it the whole way. He had faith and trust in God, but he was also dedicated as well. Look at what God promised Abraham if he did what God called him to do. God promised to bless him, his name, his family, the land they would settle in, and God promised to bless every single family on the planet through Abraham`s family. If you do not know, Jesus is a descendant of Abraham.
If it were not for Abraham obedience, faith, and trust in God, things would look completely different. God called Abraham to go and do something and promised blessings if he did it. The blessings were not immediate. It would be over 2,000 years before Jesus was born, but God promised then to bless all families of the Earth. God promised then that the land Abraham would settle would become this great and powerful nation and yet they were not officially recognized as a nation until the 1940s following World War 2. Fathers listen to this... if God promised you something, He will deliver on that promise. It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow, but He will deliver on that promise. Like Abraham did while he waited on the promised blessings, we must also continue to follow God and follow God`s plan for us. Abraham was Champion Level Father. He left his home and traveled 1,600 miles to follow God`s plan for his life. To be a Champion Level Father, you must be willing to follow what God has called you to do no matter what it may cost.
5. It requires faith like Sarah
READ HEBREWS 11:11
Some of you may be confused as to why we are talking about Sarah while looking at how to be a Champion Level Father. While she may not be a man or a father, she was mentioned in Bible Hall of Fame and there is something important here that we can take away. In Genesis 17, we see Sarai become Sarah and God promises Abraham and Sarah that Sarah will have a son and they should name him Isaac. Now, Genesis 17 makes it perfectly clear that both Abraham and Sarah are both extremely old and certainly past the point of being able to have children. So, it is easy to say that the odds were stacked against Sarah. Even when the odds were stacked against her, Sarah still had faith in God and in God`s plan. If God promises to do something, He will do it. Sometimes, things seem impossible to us. Nothing is impossible to God. Even in a situation where it seemed impossible, Sarah still had faith in God. To be a Champion Level Father, you must have faith in God even in the difficult and impossible situations.
6. It requires faith like Joseph
READ HEBREWS 11:22
In Genesis Chapters 37 to 47, we see the story of Joseph unfold. A man who was sold into slavery by his brothers, framed by an officer`s wife, and thrown in jail. Joseph went through a lot in a few short years. He went through more in a few years than what most people go through in their whole lifetime. Think about it. His own family sold him into slavery. He eventually found himself down in Egypt working for an officer or someone high up in the Egyptian government. He was doing the right thing and the Bible said that God was with him, and he was blessed. He was doing the right thing and then came Potiphar`s wife and Joseph refused to sleep with her and so she accused him of trying to do so and had him arrested and thrown in jail. So, here Joseph is. Far away from home and his family. In an Egyptian jail and he has not done anything wrong. In the midst of all of this. In the midst of the hardship and when it seemed like everything was falling apart, he still had faith in God, and it did not waver. Joseph was a Champion Level Father. When it seemed as if his life was falling apart, he held tightly onto his faith in God. Fathers, it may seem like everything is falling apart and everything is going bad in your life. You must hold tightly onto your faith. Peace is the absence of storms, but peace is the presence of Christ in the middle of the storm. To be a Champion Level Father, you must be like Joseph and remain faithful even when it feels like everything else is falling apart. This world may fail you, but God never will.
7. It requires faith like Moses
READ HEBREWS 11:23-30
In Exodus, we see the story of Moses and all that he did for the Kingdom of God. Moses was a man who was saved by the grace of God and chosen by God to lead His people. In Exodus Chapters 3 and 4, God calls Moses to lead His people and starting in Exodus Chapter 7, we see the 10 plagues begin. Think about what Moses had to do. He fled Egypt for killing an Egyptian and God calls him to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let God`s people go. At this point, the Egyptians have the Israelites enslaved. Moses had to walk up to the most powerful man on the Earth with the biggest army known to mankind at this point and he demanded that Pharaoh let them go. The faith of Moses was a courageous faith. Moses was courageous. He knew the risks. He knew that Pharaoh might kill him, but he did it anyway. We need more men and more fathers to be courageous like Moses. More to be courageous about their faith. More willing to stand up for what they believe in. Moses was a Champion Level Father. He stood up for what he believed in, and he fought for it. Men... Fathers... are you willing to stand up and fight for what you believe in? I believe there is coming a day when Christians in America will be persecuted for their faith. It will require Christians to stand up and fight for what they believe in. Men are you leading yourself and your family in a way that when that time comes, y`all will be willing and ready to stand up for your faith? Being a Champion Level Father requires faith like Moses. A courageous faith that stands up even when it may cost them everything.
8. It requires faith like Gideon
READ HEBREWS 11:32
In Judges Chapters 6 to 8, we see the call and story of Gideon. At the time that Gideon was called by God, Israel was being oppressed by the Midianites. The land of Midian is also where Moses fled to after killing the Egyptian. The Midianites would come up to Israel and steal their crops and their livestock and eat it. So, this left Israel very low and depressed to the point that they called out to God. This was the time that Israel was constantly forsaking and forgetting God. God hears their cry and in response, God calls Gideon to free them. It is estimated that the Midianite army had around 135,000 soldiers. When Gideon raised up an army to fight, he had 32,000 soldiers so, he was already at a huge disadvantage. God told Gideon to cut his army down and it ended up being the Midianite army of 135,000 soldiers against the Israelite army of 300 men. Even though he was completely outnumbered, Gideon fully believed he would win the battle because he knew that God was on his side. The faith of Gideon was the faith of a warrior. We need more warrior-like faiths today. Those willing to fight the good fight with confidence of victory because of the God that we serve. Folks, we are at war today. It is a Spiritual War. Ephesians Chapter 6 makes that clear when it tells us to put on the whole armor of God. Gideon was a Champion Level Father with a warrior-like faith. In order to be a Champion Level Father, you must do the same.
9. It requires faith like David
READ HEBREWS 11:32
1st and 2nd Samuel tell the story of David and everything he did. Acts 13:22 says this:
“And when He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.”
David was known as a man after God`s own heart. A man with a desire and a longing to be close with God. If you think about it, David did what everyone else before him did combined.
Like Abel, he gave his all to God
Like Enoch, he lived his life in a way that he was close to the Lord
Like Noah, he remained faithful to God even when things did not make sense
Like Abraham, he followed God even when he did not know what would happen
Like Sarah, he trusted God`s promise
Like Joseph, he remained faithful to God even when things were hard for him
Like Moses, he stood up for what he believed in and was courageous
Like Enoch, he was a warrior and trusted God for victory
We need fathers to be more like David. A man who is truly after God`s own heart, because when that is your true desire, everything else we talked about today will come with it. Nothing is as important as your relationship with God. You are as close to God as you chose to be. If you are distant from God, that is what you chose. If you are close to God, that is what you chose. You are as close to God as you chose to be. David was a Champion Level Father. Men, if you want to be a Champion Level Father, you must be a man after God`s own heart.
Being a Champion Level Father has 9 requirements:
It requires you to give God everything you have
It requires you to walk closely with the Lord
It requires you to be a leader including being a Spiritual Leader
It requires you to follow God even when you cannot see
It requires you to trust God`s promise
It requires you to remain faithful even when things are falling apart
It requires you to stand up for your faith
It requires you to be a Spiritual Warrior for God
It requires you to be a man after God`s own heart
Fathers, do you meet those requirements? Are you a Champion Level Father? For those who are not fathers or maybe plan to be a father one day, do you meet those requirements? It is important for you as well whether you have children or not. We need more Godly men in America. Last week we looked at how the world today matches the world of Noah. In these days of wickedness, corruption, and violence, we need Godly men to step up and step out on faith. As we come to a close this morning, I challenge every male in here today or listening by Facebook to live your life in a way that matches those mentioned in the Bible Hall of Fame, but the first step in all of that is accepting Christ. You cannot live your life for someone that you do not know. Maybe today you realize that you in fact do not know Him. Let's change that today. Let us pray.
