Happy Father’s Day, dads! Did you all get pounced on in bed this morning? My boys each made me a card (that was very special). I’m going to go home after church and, of course, call my dad.
Most of you know my father. Well, this is my favorite picture of my dad. We keep it in a curio cabinet in our living room. It’s not very fancy. In fact, it doesn’t even have a frame. It’s simply a newspaper clipping of my father when he was in service in WWII. I cherish this picture of my father though; it reminds me of him, his bravery, his humility, and the wonderful person he is. If you were to ask me who my father was, I’d probably begin with this picture.
Likewise, there are pictures in the Bible that reveal something of God’s character; his great father-heart. This morning I’d like us to address that question: WHO’S YOUR FATHER? As we do, we learn two things: 1) He’s Out of this World, and 2) He’s in Your Heart.
1) He’s Out of this World
I have something to show you. It’s a necktie. Let me ask the younger children a question: Who usually wears one of these? Dads wear ties like this. And look at how long it is. That’s because dads most of the time are taller than us, and so a tie has to be the right size. Dads are someone you look up to, and God is no exception.
We have a heavenly Father who is out of this world. The Bible says: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us. God’s love is great, immense, and magnificent. Only such love can come from someone who is great, immense, and magnificent; who’s above and beyond all powers and authorities. God’s might stretches beyond our worries and problems. Our heavenly Father is someone we must look up to see. How great.
Notice how the Bible describes our heavenly Father. He is the Creator –the one who simply causes things to exist with a single word. He is our Provider – he’s the one who maintains everything in this entire universe, so that we might have his blessings. God is out of this world in the sense that he’s bigger than everything. He’s behind it all. The rotation of the earth, the alignment of all the stars and planets, the placement of every galaxy – your heavenly Father is responsible for all of this so that we might have a sunny day in this place, or a little rain somewhere else. He graciously provides all blessings. God is out of this world because that’s where he needs to be in order to completely watch over you. How great!
Now, God may be out of the world, but he’s not out of the picture. The apostle John says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” Fatherhood is about love. God, our heavenly Father, is the perfect model of such love. You notice John says that God lavished great love on us. He spared no expense. He wasn’t chinsy. He poured his love out on us. He did this by giving up something very dear and special – Jesus Christ, his own beloved Son. God, the Father, gave up his own pride and joy! He sacrificed his Son on the cross for all of our sins – even the sins of fathers.
Dads are sometimes guilty of being out of the picture from time to time. We’re not always able to be there. Maybe your image of dad is an empty plate or chair at the dinner table -- a dad who was always working late, attending meetings, or away on business. It may have seemed that dad was out of the picture. The first thing we need to do is take ourselves, and our dads, to the foot of our Savior’s cross and see how God’s great love has been lavished on each of us, fathers included. The next thing to do is trust that God forgives sins, and, thereby, we find the power to forgive as well. Finally, thank your Lord for God-fearing fathers. Thank God that for dads who stay in the picture, even though they may often seem outside of the picture frame.
My father worked hard as a carpenter and as a truck driver hauling steel. And so its no surprise that he was used to wearing work gloves. Every summer, when I was old enough, my father would take me along with him in the truck. We traveled all over from New York to Tennessee. We were traveling partners, and so to keep things interesting I was assigned some jobs. One job was to always check air in the tires, and the other was to help put the chains and binders on a load of steel. This required gloves. Since I didn’t have any of my own, I borrowed a pair from my dad. I can still remember trying to lug those heavy binders or throw those rusty chains while wearing gloves that were too big for me. My father’s hands were huge in comparison to mine. My father can do many things with his hands far better than I. He worked hard with his hands, but they were always big enough to hold, to love, and to keep safe.
How true this is of our heavenly Father! He “lavished” his great love on us. Literally, it means that he handed out his love as a gift. Our Father handed out his love through his Son Jesus Christ. And that effort took mighty hands. Your Savior’s hands are huge. God used his mighty hands to create this wonderful universe. His hands hold it all in place. Nothing happens without his knowledge. God’s hands made you. He formed you in a most miraculous way. He’s given you life and he wants you as his child. When our sin and rebellion threatened to snatch us from God’s family, the Lord almighty cupped his hands and poured the sins of the entire world in them. Our Savior rolled up his sleeves and went to work. He did what we could never accomplish on our own. His hands worked out our redemption and forgiveness. God opened his hands and gave you heaven. God worked hard to make you his child. He continues to work hard for his family. And he has the calluses to prove it. As the Scriptures declare, “His right hand has worked salvation for him.”
2) He’s in Your Heart
I have one last thing to share with you – a TV remote. Dads use this quite a bit, don’t they? Probably more than anyone in the house. Just ask a mom. Now a TV remote is used to make choices in television viewing. This is your guide through the channels. A father is the one who is given the responsibility to make certain choices for us. They guide and instruct us. Our heavenly Father guides and instructs us as well. Only he doesn’t use a remote control unit, he uses his powerful Word. The Bible guides and instructs us. God uses his Word to place himself on our hearts. The Bible shows us our sins and reveals our Savior to us. Through his Word, God touches our hearts and lives and becomes part of our hearts and lives. Thus, guides us in thankful living as his children.
Think about what John says here: “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” Knowing the great love God lavished on us through Jesus Christ –that’s what its all about. Know God’s love! Now, John uses a unique word here. He doesn’t use a word to describe “book knowledge”, or “head knowledge – a knowledge required to memorize facts.” No. The apostle John uses a word, which means, “to know by experience.” For example it’s one thing to say, “I know how to get to Abita Springs”, and then pull out a map, which tells you to take I-12 to hwy 59. You may know the facts, but have never experienced the trip. Another person may say, “I know how to get to Abita Springs”, and have it in his heart. He may have a mental picture of the cement factories on hwy 59, the bike trace, or the sharp turn under the oaks just before one enters town. He’s experienced it.
Sadly, a lot of people have never experienced our heavenly Father’s love because they’ve never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank the Lord that you are a child of God. And dads especially thank the Lord that he’s given you families with whom you can share his lavished love. Use God’s Word to guide and instruct your family. As Christian fathers, we want our children to grow up strong. We want them to succeed in life. Yes, we want them to be happy and content. Yet, none of that will mean anything if they don’t realize they are children of God. It is vital that we share God’s great love with our children! And fathers are in the best position to make this happen.
I remember one father, who was new to the faith, admitting that for many years he had treated Sunday as a holiday and not as a holy day. His children were in Little League, but not Sunday school. They knew how to fish with worms, but not with the gospel. Dads we have a beautiful opportunity to continually lavish our heavenly Father’s love on our families. Don’t give up! Read your Bibles. Have family devotions. Talk to your children about God’s grace and mercy. Lavish it on them! Guide them into the Word. Help to instill God’s grace on their hearts. And don’t be fooled into thinking that if there are setbacks, then it’s all a waste of time. Be patient and consistent as the Lord is with you.
One of my earliest memories of my dad is of him kneeling at my bedside and teaching me to pray. He was the one who taught me: “Now I lay me down to sleep…” And now 34 years later, I find myself on my knees, teaching my children that same prayer. I even pray it myself. Who’s my father? He’s out of this world. It’s true, he worked more days than he took off, but my father is out of this world because he’s a child of God, and he helped instill such trust in my heart. He has Jesus and me as brothers. And he wasn’t afraid to share that with me.
Who’s your father? Maybe he’s guy in the picture on the living room table. Maybe he’s the one who recently passed away. To some, dad might be the guy loved to push you high on the swing; the man who always worked so hard, who always had the right advice. Then, again, dad might be the guy who was never there, and still isn’t.
Realize that all human dads are sinners, of whom I’m chief. Remember that if you’re ever tempted to despise your father. Understand those temptations usually come in the midst of trying and difficult circumstances. Be prepared in advance. Be fully persuaded of your heavenly Father’s love. You are his child. We ARE sons and daughters - claimed as his own - and therefore we are the objects of his paternal care and tender affections.
Today is Father’s day. If you can celebrate it with your dad, that’s great! Yet, remember ultimately, that you can celebrate with your Heavenly Father who loves you eternally. And so to all the children of God – brothers and sisters in Christ – I wish you a happy Father’s Day. Amen.
