Scripture Reading: Luke 15:11-32
Message: “A Father’s Love”
Text: “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).
Introduction:
What is Father’s Day?
In 1909, Mrs. John B. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father William Smart. Mr. Smart became a widower when his wife died giving birth to their sixth child. He was left to raise six children by himself. The family lived on a farm in the State of Washington.
Years later, Mrs. Dodd, who was one of the six children, realized the difficult job her father had raising six children. She knew her father was a very special man. He was a man willing to give everything he had for his family. He was a man full of love, the kind of love Jesus talked about. Mr. Smart had a sacrificial love. He was a man of God. His strength and his energy came from his Maker.
The reality of Father’s Day came about on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. The idea soon caught on in other parts of the country. Calvin Coolidge liked the idea and supported a National Father’s Day. It wasn’t until 1966 that President Johnson signed the proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day.
Here is a cute illustration I found in esermons.com. This was an advertisement in a magazine for Father’s Day.
“F” is for your favorite occupation (A man is pictured asleep in a chair).
“A” is for the anniversaries you blew (mother is shown waiting in vain for father to come home for their anniversary dinner).
“T” is for talk and your sparkling conversation (dad is depicted as reading a newspaper while the children and wife are talking to him).
“H” is for the helpful things that you do (dad is shown poking a ladder through a window).
“E” is for each time you were forgetful (this shows father leaving the pregnant mother standing at the front of the house while he dashes off to the hospital).
“R” is for the recitals that you attended (father is shown as being literally dragged to his child’s piano recital).
The ad concludes by saying: He may not be a perfect father but he does deserve a perfect gift. Give him an arrow shirt for Father’s Day.
I have really enjoyed being a father. I must admit I am not perfect, but I believe I have played the roll quite well. As I look at my family this day, I see that our three boys are wonderful fathers. I see them treating their children the same way I treated them. I don’t want to “toot my horn” or “brag”, but I think I was a pretty good “role model”. I can’t take all the credit because I am only one-half of the parent-set. Carol taught them much more than I taught them, but at least I was a good “father figure.”
I am reminded of the commercial for Jif peanut butter that airs quite often on TV. The father is sitting on the couch spreading Jif peanut butter on a slice of bread. His small daughter enters the room and asks what he is doing. He replies he is just making a peanut butter sandwich. He gives the daughter the peanut buttered slice of bread and proceeds to make another one. After he makes his sandwich, he folds the slice of bread in half. The daughter asked why he folded it in half. The father replies that this is the way his father used to do it and he likes to do what his father did. The little girl laughs and says, “That’s silly!” She turns from her father and folds her bread the same as her father. She then turns back to him with a big smile on her face, the father smiles back and then gives her a hug.
I like the Parable of the Lost Son. I have preached this Scripture more than once, but every time I read it I find a different message. This morning I would like to talk about the father figure I see presented in this Scripture Reading.
I can see three different father images presented. I see:
1. A giving father
2. A patient father
3. A forgiving father
I would like to look at these father images and compare them to our heavenly Father. Let’s remember that our heavenly Father is far more than these three images.
Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them” (Luke 15:11 and 12).
It is interesting to note in this Scripture that the younger son did not ask his father for his share of the inheritance, but he actually demanded his share. He could have said, “Please, father, may I have my share of the inheritance.” He could have said, “Father I want to go out into the world on my own, but I need a little financial help. Would it be possible for you to give me a portion of the inheritance?” He might have put it this way: “Father, I know an inheritance comes after one has died, and father I don’t wish anything like that, but would it be possible for you to give me my part of the estate at this time?”
We have all approached our fathers, at some time or another, with a demand type of request. For example, “Hey dad, I need…” “Dad, I want…” “Dad, give me…” I would venture to say that most of the time dad met our request without even giving a second thought as to how the request was expressed. The father in our Scripture reading granted the request. “So he divided his property between them” (v. 12). According to Deuteronomy 21:17, the younger son received one-third of the property and the older son received two-thirds.
I was very fortunate to have a giving father. My father did not have many material possessions, being a coal miner, but he provided the necessities and some extra things. I remember the time I wanted a bicycle. He never said I couldn’t have it because it cost $7.00, but he did say that there was a good possibility Santa Claus would bring it. Santa Claus brought the bicycle. My father never really said “no” to me, but then on the other hand, I never received everything I asked for. He had a unique way of saying “yes and no.”
As I said, my father could not afford many material possessions, but he did have a lot of love. He was a family man who chose to spend time with his family instead of with friends. I never heard him criticize anyone or speak unkind words. When someone needed help with a project, he was always ready to step in and help. If someone needed a ride, my dad gave them a ride. If someone was in need, my dad was there.
My father was my mentor. He was my buddy. He was the man in whose footsteps I wanted to follow because he followed in the footsteps of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My father was the greatest because he gave his family love, compassion, and understanding. He gave his life to his precious family as our heavenly Father gave his Son’s life in payment of our sins. I believe my father’s heart filled his entire chest cavity just as the Holy Spirit fills the hearts of each of us who have repented and accepted His Son as Lord and Savior. My father was a giving father just as our heavenly Father is a giving father. My earthly father did not give me all I wanted, but like my heavenly Father he gave me things much better than I could possible ask for.
God, the Father, gave to Adam “a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18).
God, the Father, gave to man a plan for his redemption.
Our heavenly Father gave Abraham and Sarah, whose ages were 100 and 90 respectively, a son and they named him Isaac.
God, the Father, gave to a young girl named Mary a baby who would be the Savior for all mankind.
Our heavenly Father is a giving father. “…he gave his one and only Son, that who ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
2. My Father was a patient father.
How many of you had a patient father?
How many of you were patient fathers?
How many of you are patient grandfathers?
When my dad had to stop at the railroad crossing and wait for the train to go by, he never moaned and complained about the 100 cars being pulled by the engine. He passed the time by counting the railway cars.
He never said anything to or about the person in front of him in the check-out line who decided he or she forgot an item and had to go get it off the shelf, thus holding up the rest of the line of customers.
My father never got upset or inpatient with my mother when we were about to make a 5 hour trip to my grandmothers and my mother decided that everything she wanted to take would fit in the car trunk. Dad would pack, unpack, and repack the trunk of the car.
As a father, I do not have the patience of my father. I certainly do not have the patience of Job. I do admit that I fall short in this category. Patience is not one of my greatest virtues, but with much prayer and God’s help, I believe I can get better. I don’t mind writing and rewriting because I like my finished product to be near perfect. I don’t mind doing a chore or task over several times because I want to be proud of what I have done when I have finished.
As a father, I learned that sometimes one has to let children learn the hard way. Jesus said, “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (v. 13).
The father did not question the son. He was patient and he was willing to let the son learn a lesson in life. This father knew, as most fathers know, young people have the idea they know more than dad knows. Listen to this little article from esermons.com on how fathers are viewed.
4 years: My daddy can do anything.
7 years: My dad knows a lot, a whole lot.
8 years: My father doesn’t quite know everything.
12 years: Oh well, naturally Father doesn’t know everything.
14 years: Father? Hopelessly old-fashioned.
21 years: Oh, that man is out-of-date. What did you expect?
25 years: He knows a little bit about it but not much.
30 years: I must find out what Dad thinks about it.
35 years: A little patience, let’s get Dad’s thoughts first.
40 years: What would Dad have thought about it?
50 years: My Dad knew literally everything.
60 years: I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.
It is interesting how some young people view their fathers through their lifetime. I can honestly say I had the highest respect for my dad. There were times when I did learn some of life’s lessons the hard way, but I thanked my dad for letting me learn.
Scripture says, “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father” (vv. 17-20).
This young man learned a hard lesson from a giving and patient father. I believe the father knew what would happen. Good fathers today know when the children are in the process of making a grave mistake. The saying is “Give them a little rope and they will hang themselves.” In other words let them learn from their mistakes. This is not done to be cruel, but it is done out of love for the child.
If it had not been for our patient and understanding heavenly Father, mankind would have been wiped out long ago. Adam and Eve made a great mistake, but God never left them. He immediately initiated a plan to redeem all mankind. God, the Father, was patient with them and continued to care for them although they disobeyed Him. All of us disobey God, in some way, on a daily basis. If God did not have patience, all of us would be in deep trouble. It is by the Father’s patience and mercy that we are here today.
3. My Father was a forgiving father.
I was a normal child who did the things that normal children do. I was not disrespectful to my father, but I was not a perfect little angel. I am sure I did some things that bothered my dad, but he was always forgiving.
Scripture says, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (v. 20).
When the son returned, he did not expect the kind of reception his father gave him. Instead of being treated like one of the hired hands, his father treated him like royalty. His father gave him the best robe, ring, sandals, a feast and a celebration. The father forgave the son for all he had done. He was happy that the son had returned home. This is the kind of love the Father has for each of us. If there is forgiveness, there is hope. Here is an example of the Father’s love as written by John R. Aurelio.
On the sixth day, God created Father, Adam and Mother Eve. On the seventh day, as God was resting, they asked Him if He would give them something special to commemorate their birthday. So God reached into His treasure chest and took out a sacred coin. Written on it was the work “LOVE.” On the eighth day, Father Adam and Mother Eve sinned. As they left the Garden of Eden, they asked God for an assurance that He would not abandon them.
“You have the coin, He told them.
“But, the coin says, LOVE,” they answered. “We have lost love. How ever will we find it again?”
“Turn it over,” God said.
On the other side of the coin was written the word “FORGIVENESS.”
Aurelio goes on to say that there is no love without forgiveness and no forgiveness without love. They are the two sides of the same coin.
Conclusion:
Father’s Day – June 18, 2006 – A day to remember fathers and grandfathers.
Fathers are giving just as our heavenly Father.
Fathers are patient just as our heavenly Father.
Fathers are forgiving just as our heavenly Father.
Boys Life printed this little poem called “Dad”.
His shoulders are a little bent,
His youthful force a trifle spent,
But he’s the finest man I know,
With heart of gold and hair of snow,
He’s seldom cross and never mean;
He’s always been so good and clean;
I only hope I’ll always be
As kind to him as he is to me.
Sometimes he’s tired and seems forlorn
His happy face is lined and worn;
Yet he can smile when things are bad;
That’s why I like my gray-haired dad.
He doesn’t ask the world for much—
Just comfort, friendliness, and such;
But from the things I’ve heard him say,
I know it’s up to me to pay
For all the deeds he’s done for me
Since I sat on his rocking knee;
Oh, not in dollars, dimes, or cents—
That’s not a father’s recompense;
Nor does he worship wealth and fame—
He wants his pay in my good name.
“Happy Father’s Day!”
Amen.
