The Godlyfather
Father’s Day Message
Joshua 24:14-15
June 15, 2003 Chester’s FBC, Chester, IL Mike Fogerson, Speaker
A THE IDEA FOR CREATING A DAY for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909.
a Having been raised by her father, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man.
b Her father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.
*One time a little boy was asked to define Father’s Day and he said, "It’s just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the present."
B Anybody can be a father. It takes a special man to be a dad. It takes an even more special guy to be the "Godlyfather."
a Joshua 24:14-15
*Joshua is in Shechem: (Special place, Sacred place.)
Gen. 12:6-7* Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. [7] The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
Joshua 24:1* Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
Joshua 24:25*On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws.
JOS 24:14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. [15] But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
b Joshua’s most important life achievement was being a Godlyfather. (ETS)
C The greatest fathers are Godlyfathers. (ESS)
a I want my dads to commit (or recommit) to being Godlyfathers today.Obj.
b What are you doing that shows you’re a Godlyfather?
TS: Let’s look at two qualities that Joshua possessed that made him the "Godlyfather."
*=Put entire text on Power Point, reference ONLY in the listening guide.
I The first quality that Joshua possessed is that he. . ..was the priest of the home.
A I remember a little fellow, frightened by lightning and thunder, who called out one dark night, "Daddy, come. I’m scared." "Son," the father said, "God loves you and he’ll take care of you." "I know God loves me," the boy replied. "But right now I want somebody who has skin on." If I were starting my family again, that is what I would want to be above all else - God’s love with skin on
a Joshua was "God was God with Skin on."
*He was close to God,
Spent time with. . .Talked with. . .built a relationship with. . .
*Joshua COULD NOT show God if he DID NOT know God.
b Men, your kids need God with skin on.
*(IL.)Some months ago I heard a touching story about a humble, consecrated pastor whose young son had become very ill. After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of tests, the father was told the shocking news that his son had a terminal illness. The youngster had accepted Christ as his Savior, so the minister knew that death would usher him into Glory; but he wondered how to inform one in the bloom of youth that he soon would die. After earnestly seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit, he went with a heavy heart through the hospital ward to the boy’s bedside. First he read a passage of Scripture and had a time of prayer with his dear child. Then he gently told him that the doctors could promise him only a few more days to live. "Are you afraid to meet Jesus, my boy?" asked his devout father. Blinking away a few tears, the little fellow said bravely, "No, not if He’s like you, Dad!"
*Your boys/girls need to see God with skin and some of you are blowing it dads. How?
B Ten ways to blow it. (Put in guide and in PP in progression as I state them, omit text in parenthesis in both)
10. Have fights in front of your children. (Then when quests come, turn around and act affectionate toward one another.)
9. Stifle your children’s questions by saying, "Don’t bother me now; I’m busy."
8. Take no interest in your children’s friends. (Let them run around with whomever they choose.)
7. Never discipline your children; try to use psychology instead.
6. Nag them about their schoolwork; never compliment them on their achievements.
5. Demonstrate your love for them with material things. (Give them everything their little hearts desire.)
4. Never discuss the facts of life with them. (Instead, let them learn about sex from their friends, public school, or pornographic literature.)
3. Never let your kids know that your praying for them. (BIG DEAL)
*Priests Pray Persistently * Job 1:5"Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s custom"
2. Absolutely refuse to believe it if you are told that your children have done something wrong.
1. Let your children make their own choices in the matter of religion. (Be careful not to influence them in any way.)
b Dads, you are to be priests who go boldly before the throne of God on behalf of your family, especially your kids!!!
*So many of our dads relinquished the priestshood in the home and gave our mothers/grandmothers the honor of being priests. (WAS NOT set up that way!!!)
*Eph. 6:4 (Put on overhead & guide)
T.S.: Being priest of the family isn’t enough to be the godlyfather.
II The second quality that Joshua possessed is that he. . ..Had a plan for his family.
A When Joshua spoke "as for me and my house" he was setting up what they, the family was going to do.
a We will serve the Lord!!!!
b We may have to serve by ourselves. We WILL serve the Lord.
*That’s a plan!!
B Dads, what is your plan for the souls in your house?
a Church? Sunday School? Share your faith? Telling them about Jesus?
b (IL.) In a small farming community in the 1930’s, woman had a difficult time delivering her sixth child. Doctor said she would live through the delivery, but that’s all he could promise. Her dying words, "Charlie, make sure you get our babies to heaven."
*Dads, the most important place you take your children isn’t on vacation, state finals, tee ball, dance...the most important place you take your children will be to heaven.
*What’s your plan?
CONCLUSION:
Joshua’s most important life achievement was being a godly father. The greatest fathers are godly fathers.
A We’ve looked at two qualities that Joshua had that made him a Godlyfather.
a Priest of the home. (He was the spiritual leader.)
b Plan for his family. (He parented with intentionality to lead his house to serve God.)
B I want my dads to commit to being to being Godlyfathers (& Godlygrandfathers) today.
a Two Choices: Recommit or Relinquish
b Recommit to being the priest. . . I’m your coach! You have haft to make the play!
C What are you doing that shows you are a Godlyfather?
a When Greg Swindell pitched for the Cleveland Indians, he wore a modern day "phylactery." Greg was the proud father of Sydney, born January 21, 1991. That’s an important date to Swindell. On the back of his baseball cap he had her name inscribed in tiny little white letters and her birth date was written out on the underside of his cap’s bill. "When things are going badly or when I’m getting shelled, I can take it off and look at it and know what I have to look forward to when I get home." You may not wear a baseball cap to work, but such vital statistics can be etched onto a briefcase or hard hat along with such reminders as: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. . . . and they shall be as frontals on your forehead." (See Deuteronomy 6:4-9.)
b I want my dads to commit to being Godlyfathers? What are you doing that shows you are a Godlyfather?
*Pray
***Notice: I have used Sermon Central sermons for a VERY long time. If this or any of my sermons are similar to a sermon that is already on Sermon Central by another pastor or teacher....chances are I have used it. Actually, there is probably absolutely nothing in this sermon that hasn’t been preached before! If I used your sermon and haven’t given you credit, please write me and I’ll give you credit by name. I have in no way intentionally withheld credit to any work I’ve used/borrowed from. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF I HAVE "USED" YOUR WORK IT WAS BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU HAD A SUPER SERMON! I prefer to preach with an outline and just rearranged your sermon. My intent is to make sermons relevant and easy for outline guys to use. If you use MY work, feel free to claim it. I do not care!! Simply realize that I have borrowed from other preachers, too.
Mike Fogerson, Pastor, Chester’s First Baptist Church
