FATHER’S DAY: RAISING CHILDREN OF FAITH
2 TIMOTHY 1: 1-14
JUNE 19, 2005
INTRODUCTION: THE WRITING OF A VERY SMART 6 YEAR OLD: ON VALENTINES DAY MY DADDY WILL TURN 45. LAST VALENTINES DAY, WHEN I WAS IN THE 1ST GRADE MY DADDY WWAS 44. WHEN I AM IN 2ND GRADE HE WILL BE 45 THEN 46 THEN 47! HE WILL GET OLDER AND OLDER. Then HE WILL BE A GRANDPA THEN HE WILL DIE. THAT IS THE CYCLE OF LIFE. IT IS SAD ISN’T IT. CIRCLE YES OR NO. THANK YOU. THE END.
I can’t divulge the name of this special child, but doesn’t what she wrote grip you? What perspective?
Darryl Worley Song: If Something Should Happen
Buddy you and me go way back Camp all June, all through highschool and before that.
So I don’t mind tellin you I’m scared to death. The doctor is goin in on the 25th It’s the same thing my daddy had Thank God they caught it fast. But if something should happen
Stop in some time and say hello to Catherine You and Marianne could always keep her laughing Because shes gonna need a lot of that Take her out to a movie It’s gonna take sometime before shes back on her feet. I know you think I’ll be fine and I’m talkin crazy
But theres always that chance That’s why I’m askin If something should happen Little Nathan is growing up so fast This November he’ll turn 10 He wants to play quarterback.
I’m supposed to coach his team this fall But I may not get to afterall He’s gonna need someone to catch a pass And to throw it back If something should happen Oh promise me you’ll take that boy out campin Throw a line out in the water every now and then Answer and questions that he has Maybe once he gets older You can sit and have that first cold beer together And tell him a couple stories on his father He’s always known your my best friend. That’s why I’m askin If something should happen I hope I live until I’m 80 And I get to see my son get married And have some babies And make a million more memories with my wife. Yeah buddy I pray alright But if it’s my time to leave Could you watch over them for me? If something should happen If something should happen If something should happen If something should happen If something should happen If something should happen
TRANSITION THOUGHT: TODAY WE CELEBRATE FATHERS! FOR SOME THIS IS A DAY OF CELEBRATION. TODAY MANY OF YOU THINK FOUNDLY OF YOUR FATHERS AND CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THEM IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY. FOR SOME, THIS IS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE. DAD ISN’T HERE AND YOU SURE DO MISS HIM. HE WAS A GREAT DAD! FOR SOME, THOUGH, DAD SURE WASN’T MUCH. EITHER YOU DIDN’T KNOW HIM, OR WISH YOU DIDN’T. OUR TEXT FOR TODAY TAKES US ON A LITTLE DIFFERENT JOURNEY AS WE THINK ABOUT DADS. TODAY, WE DO CELEBRATE FATHERS, BUT THE FOCUS IS GOING TO BE ON SPIRITUAL FATHERS! NOW DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE ARE FORGETTING OUR BIOLOGICAL DADS, HOPEFULLY NOT! HOPEFULLY EACH OF OUR DADS WAS A MAN WHO TAUGHT US ALL ABOUT JESUS AND THEY ARE WHY WE KNOW THE LORD.
BUT OFTEN THIS ISN’T TRUE, AND MEN, I BELIEVE IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MODEL WHAT IT IS TO KNOW JESUS THAT ALL WHO COME BEHIND US CAN FIND US FAITHFUL. TODAY I WANT US TO THINK ABOUT BEING SPIRITUAL FATHERS WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE BIOLOGICAL FATHERS OR NOT!
THESIS SENTENCE: OUR FATHER CALLS ALL MEN TO RAISE UP CHILDREN OF FAITH REGARDLESS OF THE DNA!
RAISING CHILDREN OF FAITH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DNA V. 2
DR. ROBERT BLACK: A FATHER IN THE FAITH! A GOD THING! REV. JACK FUNDERBURK DR. J. R. MITCHEL SPIVEY SHERRIN, BAKE GARMAN, DAVID BRADSHAW, REV. JEREMIAH ROBINSON AND ON IT GOES! WHO ARE THE SIGNIFICANT MEN OF GOD WHO HAVE BEEN YOUR SPIRITUAL FATHERS??
THIS IS NO DISCREDIT TO THE HOME, BUT OFTEN YOUNG MEN ARE LOOKING FOR ROLE MODELS OUTSIDE THE HOME! MAYBE THIS IS A VALIDATION OF WHAT THEY SAW AT HOME, BUT NEEDED TO BE CONFIRMED IN THE “REAL WORLD”?
THIS COULD ALSO BE THE REALITY OF THE HOME! MAYBE MOM LOVES THE LORD, BUT DAD DOESN’T HAVE TIME FOR THE CHURCH THING? MAYBE DAD HASN’T MODELED FOR YOU WHAT A CHRISTIAN IS SUPPOSED TO BE?
OUR TEXT TAKES US INTO THE LIFE OF A YOUNG MAN, THE SCRIPTURES MAKE IT CLEAR HE IS YOUNG (I TIMOTHY 4: 12). HE IS ALSO CALLED A SON, BUT BY A MAN WHO IS NOT HIS FATHER! HE IS A SON IN THE FAITH! JUST AS JESUS ADOPTS US INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD, ONCE WE ARE IN, OTHER ADOPT US INTO THEIR FAMALIES!
RAISING CHILDREN OF FAITH HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH DNA VV. 3-5
Ninety per cent of dads say becoming a father made them want to be a better person and role model for their kids, and 75% feel a weight of responsibility now that they didn’t before. Two-thirds say they’re less judgmental of other dads, and 42% say they live with constant worry about their kids’ safety. Asked which of four challenges most concerns them, they chose: steering kids clear of alcohol and drugs (38%); protecting kids from sex and violence in media (28%); and supporting a family in a bad economy (28%). Losing the title of family breadwinner hardly even scored (6%). -- FAMILY CIRCLE, June 10, 2003, p. 83.
A man is laying on the operating table, about to be operated on by his son, the surgeon. The father says, “Son, think of it this way . . . If anything happens to me, your mother is coming to live with you.”
OUR TEXT DOES NOT GIVE US THE WHERE ABOUTS OF TIMOTHY’S FATHER, BUT WE ARE CLEAR TAUGHT THAT TIMOTHY HAD A GODLY HERITAGE (2 TIMOTHY 1: 5)!
TIMOTHY HAD COME FROM GODLY WOMEN! I KNOW TODAY IS NOT MOTHER’S DAY, BUT FOLKS, WE NEED TO PRAISE THE LORD FOR THE SPIRITUAL MOTHERS WHO HAVE SHOWN THEIR CHILDREN WHAT FAITH WAS ALL ABOUT, EVEN IF DAD DIDN’T!
BUT, THIS IS NOT MY POINT AT ALL ABOUT DNA. DID YOU CATCH VERSE 3 WHEN IT WAS READ? I HAVE READ THIS TEXT MANY TIMES AND IT NEVER HIT ME! PAUL MENTIONS THAT HE SERVES GOD. IS HE BRAGGING, OR SETTING DOWN A FOUNDATION?? DID YOU ALSO NOTICE WHO ELSE SERVED GOD? THE FOREFATHERS OF PAUL SERVED GOD! NOW, IS PAUL TALKING ABOUT HIS PERSONAL FAMILY, OR IS HE TALKING ABOUT HIS JEWISH HERATAGE?
YOU SEE PAUL WAS TEACHING TIMOTHY THAT THEY BOTHED BELONGED TO SOMETHING SO MUCH GREATER THAN THEIR OWN SMALL FAMILY TREE, THEY BELONGED TO THE FAMILY OF GOD! TIMOTHY WAS THE SPIRITUAL SON OF PAUL, HE WAS ALSO NOW A DESCENDANT OF ABRAHAM. THERE IS DNA AT WORK HERE GREATER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE AND IT IS THE DNA OF THE FAMILY OF GOD! TIMOTHY HAD BEEN SAVED UNDER PAUL’S MINISTRY, BUT PAUL WASN’T TAKING ALL THE CREDIT, HE CAME FROM A LONG LINE OF SERVANTS AND NOW WAS MAKING IT CLEAR, TIMOTHY HAD A GREAT FAMILY HERITAGE TO ENJOY AND LIVE UP TOO!!
A pastor was quizzing the children during the children’s sermon about the influences in their lives. “Who taught you to count?” he asked. Tommy piped up and said, “My Dad taught me to count.” “Great, Tommy,” said the pastor. “What comes after eight?” “Nine,” Tommy answered confidently. “
And what comes after nine?” asked the pastor. “Ten,” Tommy said triumphantly. “And what comes after ten?” asked the pastor. “A jack,” said Tommy. We learn lots of things from our fathers, don’t we?
You see, DNA has everything to do with who we are! We must allow the very DNA of the Lord our God to flow through us! We are children of God [I JOHN 3: 1 ( I BELIEVE IS MY NEW FAVORITE VERSE IN THE BIBLE)]
RAISING CHILDREN OF FATIH IS ENCOURAGEMENT/ ADMONISHMENT GIVEN VV. 6-10; 14
I want to tell you about a remarkable young man named Rick Hoyt and his Dad. Rick was born with cerebral palsy. Rick’s condition was so severe that doctors suggested his parents send him to an institution. But the Hoyt family wanted Rick to live up to his potential, whatever that potential might be. For ten years they searched for a way for Rick to communicate with them. Can you imagine that? Waiting ten years to hear your child say something, anything, to you?
When he was ten years old, Rick was finally able to communicate with his family with the help of a new computer device. They soon discovered that Rick was an intelligent kid with a passion for sports. One day, Rick learned that his town was sponsoring a 5K race to raise money for children who are paralyzed in accidents. Rick wanted to find some way to run in that race, so he convinced his father, Dick Hoyt, to run the race while pushing Rick’s wheelchair. At the time, Dick was out of shape. But he was willing to try anything to bond with his son. So Dick began running every day while pushing Rick’s wheelchair. At the end of their first race, Rick typed into his computer, “Dad, I felt like I wasn’t handicapped.” Since that day, Dick and Rick Hoyt have run 371 races together. But listen to this: This young man with severe cerebral palsy, Rick Hoyt, now works at Boston University designing computer programs for people with disabilities. Now I’m certain his mother is just as much a part of this story as his dad, but can’t you see Rick’s father pushing that wheelchair in race after race, determined with all his might to watch his son succeed in life? What a beautiful and inspiring story. John C. Maxwell. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work (Nashville, TN: J. Countryman, 2002), pp. 113-116.
HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER PLAYED SPORTS?? DID ANYONE EVER CHEER YOU ON! KIM’S MOM ALMOST GOT THROWN OUT OF GAMES CHEERING FOR HER DAUGHTER. PAPAW WOULD GET A LITTLE RIELLED UP HIMSELF CHEER FOR HER! HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL? ISN’T AWESOME WHEN SOMEONE CHEERS YOU ON? WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL, I WOULD CALL DAD AND COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW TOUGH IT WAS AND HOW LONG IT WAS TAKING. HE NEVER SAID QUIT AND HE ALWAYS HAD SOMETHING POSITIVE TO SAY. HE CHEERED ME ON! WE ALL KNOW WE NEED IT!!
I WANT TO CHEER YOU ON! YOU CAN DO MORE IN CHRIST THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE! YOU CAN HELP CHANGE LIVES AS YOU SERVE THE LIVING GOD! YOU CAN HELP RAISE UP CHILDREN OF FAITH!!
PAUL KNEW THAT GOD COULD USE A MAN, HIS SPIRITUAL SON, LIKE TIMOTHY! LISTEN TO VERSES 6-10 AGAIN!! IF THAT WON’T FIRE YOU UP, YOUR WOOD IS WET!! PAUL CHEERED TIMOTHY ON IN THE FAITH! HE TAUGHT HIM WHAT IT MEANT TO BE A SERVANT OF THE LIVING GOD!! MEN, WHAT ARE WE TEACHING? ARE WE CHEERING ON THE NEXT GENERATION? THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE YOUR CHILDREN, JUST ONES YOU LOVE LIKE YOUR OWN! AND IF YOU LOVE THEM, THEY WILL LISTEN! LETS CHEER ON THE NEXT GENERATION!!
RAISING CHILDREN OF FAITH IS A CLEAR ROLE MODEL TO FOLLOW! VV. 8, 11-13
Former Chicago Bears football great Mike Singletary was twelve years old when his father abandoned the family. Singletary’s dad was just living out a long legacy in the Singletary family of men who had never known a father’s love and were unequipped to pass on a healthy legacy of love to their own children. When Mike Singletary became a father, he determined that he would break that legacy.
He would rely on his faith in God and the support of others to become a loving father and an excellent example to his children. But it all had to start with his decision to forgive his father for the abandonment.
After retiring from football, Mike Singletary became a professional speaker. In addition to speaking before large corporations and conventions, he also donated his time to speak in prisons. Singletary soon learned that many prisoners shared his same family legacy of abandonment or abuse by their fathers. While speaking at a women’s prison, Singletary felt God leading him to apologize to the women on behalf of all the fathers and other men who abused or neglected them. The reaction to his apology was stunning. Many of the women began to weep. It was obvious that they had deep hurts that needed to be healed, and this surrogate apology seemed to be a good start. In 1995, Singletary spoke on forgiveness at a men’s prison in Texas. Afterwards, one of the Hispanic inmates approached Singletary. He was crying. He began hitting Singletary in the chest and repeating one name over and over again, “Papa! Papa! Papa!” Guards tried to pull him away, but Mike Singletary stopped them. He was willing to absorb this man’s pain, if it would help in his healing process. Mike Singletary with Russ Pate, Daddy’s Home at Last (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), pp. 36-43.
MIKE SINGLETARY BECAME A ROLE MODEL FOR WHAT A MAN IS TO BE! THE APOSTLE PAUL HAD BEEN THIS FOR TIMOTHY. OUT OF THE 10 LETTER’S/ BOOKS CREDITED TO PAUL IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, TIMOTHY CO-AUTHORED 6. TIMOTHY AND PAUL HAD SPENT MUCH TIME TOGETHER. PAUL HAD MODELED SERVING THE LORD BEFORE TIMOTHY AND EVEN NOW, WAS IN JAIL FOR SERVING THE LORD.
PAUL ENCOURAGED TIMOTHY NOT TO BE ASHAMED OF HIM, BUT TO JOIN WITH HIM IN SUFFERING FOR THE GOSPEL (VERSE 8). PAUL WAS NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST AND NOW CALLED HIS SON IN THE FAITH TO FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE! MEN, ARE WE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST? WHAT WOULD OUR OWN CHILDREN SAY AS WE LIVE BEFORE THEM? WHAT WOULD OUR NEIGHBORS AND CO-WORKERS SAY? WHAT WOULD THE CHILDREN OF THIS VERY CHURCH SAY?
THE GREATEST HERITAGE WE HAVE TO OFFER IS NOT WHAT WE SAY, BUT WHAT WE MODELED! PAUL WAS SO BOLD AS TO SAY OF HIMSELF, “FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE AS I FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST (I CORINTHIANS 11:1).” COULD WE BE SO BOLD? CAN I TELL YOU THE TRUTH MEN? PEOPLE WON’T FOLLOW WHAT YOU SAY UNLESS THEY SEE IT IN THE WAY YOU LIVE!
CONCLUSION: TODAY IS FATHER’S DAY AND WE CELEBRATE! THIS IS ALSO A DAY OF GREAT RESPONSIBILITY! STATISTICS SAY THAT ONLY 4 % OF OUR YOUTH ARE ACCEPTING JESUS! WE ARE REMINDED OF WHAT IS AT STAKE: EVERY GENERATION THAT FOLLOWS US! MEN, I HOPE, LONG AFTER YOU ARE DEPARTED, IF SOMETHING SHOULD HAPPEN, THAT YOUR CHILDREN, OR JUST MAYBE, THOSE THAT WATCHED YOU LIVE, EVEN THE CHILDREN OF THIS CHURCH, COULD LOOK UP TO YOU AND SAY, HE HELPED ME TO BE A CHILD OF GOD, A DISCIPLE OF JESUS! AND IT WOULD BE SAID OF YOU MEN, THEY RAISED UP CHILDREN OF FAITH, FOLLOWERS OF JESUS!
BENEDICTION: EPHESIANS 3: 20-21
