Who’s Your Daddy?
Mark 1: 16 - 20
16And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." 18They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
19When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.
James and John we know, but who’s their Daddy?
Is he important or is he significant in any way?
Was he famous or what sort of man was this fellow called Zebedee?
We don’t really know a lot about the father of James and John.
We do know that his trade was that of fisherman.
We can assume he was a wealthy fisherman because he had servants.
We believe that they lived in either Capernaum or Bethsaida.
We know that his wife’s name was Salome. When she came to realize that her son’s where not going to take over the father’s fishing business, she went to Jesus and asked for favor for her sons. (Matt. 20:20)
In Hebrew tradition a name was very important, one was known as the son of one’s father. James and John where the sons of Zebedee.
Men today carry the last name of their father. I know what you are thinking. What about the unwed mother and the child that has her last name. Well that mother has had to become father and mother and the child carried her last name.
On father’s day there are some mothers that need to be honored and likewise on mother’s day there are some father’s that need to be honored.
The we know about James and Johns parents are the basis facts.
We know where they lived, what type of work they did, and maybe whether they where wealthy or poor.
But most of the time the only way we know about the parents character is through their children.
Some may say it doesn’t matter who your daddy is or was.
Jesus said if you have seen me, you have seen my Father.
I believe there are many things that we pass from one generation to the next. There are inner traits that we have that are not learned but passed on in our spirits.
So young ladies, if mother says stay away from him, maybe you better listen to what she has to say.
E. V. Hill once said a young man came to his door looking for his daughter and he sent him away. His daughter said, was that for me and he said No Baby that was not for you.
It is important who you choose to be the father of your children. This is why we must deal with generational cusses.
Even the courts today will recognize that if the father was a wife beater, then the son may be a wife beater. If the father abused alcohol and drugs, then the son may become an abuser.
Satan cannot create anything and he will use on you what worked with your daddy and your granddaddy and your great granddaddy.
You often sat and wonder where did you go wrong and maybe just maybe it was not you at all.
We live in a day when we must learn to pull down strongholds and break generational cruses.
We foremost must lead our families to God. Men have left this job to the women for much to long. We look around and see that the women outnumber the men two to one in Sunday School, Bible Study and Worship Service.
When we as men fail to assume our responsibilities, we leave women to assume a role they where not designed to fulfill.
MEN’S GREATEST FAILINGS ARE NOT IN WHAT WE DO, BUT IN WHAT WE DON’T DO.
If we are to be men after God’s own heart, we must begin to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
WE NEED TO WALK A LITTLE PLAINER MEN.
There was a poem that I used to keep in my brief case when my son was young.
Walk A Little Plainer Daddy
Walk a little plainer daddy said a little boy so frail.
I’m following in your footsteps and I don’t want to fall.
Sometimes your steps are very plain.
Sometimes they are hard to see.
So walk a little plainer daddy, for you are leading me.
I know that once you walked this way many years ago.
And what you did along the way I’d really like to know.
For sometimes when I am tempted I don’t know what to do.
So walk a little plainer daddy, for I must follow you.
Someday when I am grown up, you are like I want to be.
Then I will have a little boy, who will want to follow me and I would want to lead him right and help him to be true.
So walk a little plainer daddy for we are following you.
SOMETIMES I WOULD READ THAT AND IT WOULD BRING TEARS TO MY EYES, BECAUSE OF THE AWSOME RESPONSIBILITY THAT GOD HAD GIVEN ME.
MEN GOD HAS PLACED AN AWSOME RESPONSIBILITY ON YOU.
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER YOU ARE A FATHER OR NOT, THERE IS SOMEONE LOOKING AT YOUR WALK.
I WOULD PRAY THAT MY MISTAKES AND SHORTCOMINGS WOULD NOT CAUSE MY CHILDREN TO FALL.
THE LORD HAS GIVEN MAN, GREAT RESPONSIBILITY SINCE HE PLACED ADAM IN THE GARDEN
The bible has many stories of great fathers and none more powerful than that of the father of the prodigal son.
We know the story all to well of how the son got his money and wasted it on riotous living. We know about the son’s return and how the father greeted him.
But there is an untold story about the suffering and pain that father went through while that son was gone.
The story of how each days wait turned his hair gray.
We cannot even imagine the pain he must have felt each time news came of how his son was living.
But that father had planted a seed inside of that boy and no one could see it but the Lord.
That’s why when he hit rock bottom, he headed back home.
The song writer said, take me back to the place where I first believed.
Proverbs 4:1-2
1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding;
2 For I give you good doctrine: do not forsake my law.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, grew up and Jesus called them away from their father and his life’s work. Mark says they immediately dropped their nets and followed Him. But I guarantee you that the lives of James and John were shaped by the life of Zebedee.
Not everyone has a loving father. Was Zebedee a loving father? I don’t know. I sort of believe he was. But no father is perfect. Zebedee was just a man, with all of the limitations that go along with being a human.
We that have children, have the opportunity to shape them for the good or for bad. What ever we do it will leave a lasting impression.
Let me illustrate.
A number of years ago a seminary professor and his wife where vacationing in Gatlinburg, TN where they where eating breakfast, hoping to enjoy a quite family meal.
While they where waiting for their meal, they noticed a distinguished looking white haired man moving from table to table talking to people. The professor said to his wife:
I hope he doesn’t come over here, but sure enough he did come over to their table.
Where you folks from he asked, in a friendly voice.
Oklahoma, they answered.
Great to have you here in Tennessee, what do you do for a living.
The professor said, I teach seminary.
You teach preacher how to preach. Well I’ve got a great story for you and with that he pulled up a chair.
He said see that mountain over there, pointing out the window. Not far from the base of that mountain there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up because every place he went he was asked the same question.
HEY BOY WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
When he went school, they asked, who’s your daddy.
When he went to the grocery store, who’s your daddy.
That boy would hide at recess and lunchtime from the other students.
He would avoid going into stores because the question hurt him so bad.
When he was about 12 years old a new preacher came to his church.
He would always go in late and leave early to avoid the question.
WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
Well one day the preacher said the benediction so fast he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.
Just about the time he got to the door, the new preacher not knowing anything about him put his hand on his shoulder and asked him,
SON WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. By now, everyone knew the answer to the question, Who’s your daddy?
That new preacher thought the discernment of the Holy Spirit sensed the situation and said to the scared little boy…
Wait a minute I know who you are, I can see the family resemblance now. YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD!
He patted the boy on the shoulder and said boy you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.
That boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out that door a changed person. He was never the same again.
Whenever anybody asked him, Who’s your daddy? He’s just tell them I AM A CHILD OF GOD.
The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, Isn’t that a great story.
He said you know if that preacher hadn’t told me that I was one of God’s children, I probably wouldn’t have amounted to anything. And he walked away.
The professor and his wife where stunned. They called the waitress over and asked do you know that gentleman.
The waitress smiled and said of course, everybody knows him. That’s Ben Hooper the former governor of Tennessee.
When you accept Christ into your life, you have a Father who will never fail you.
You will have a brother who stick by your side.
God will be your father and Jesus will be your brother.
When Jesus called James and John to come and follow Him, he did not have to beg them or plead with them.
The alter is open and those that desire a new life in Christ need to come to this alter now.
You know where you stand with the Lord and you need to come and repent and call on the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, to accept Him as your Lord and Savior.
THE ALTER IS OPEN.
