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06-21-09

“A Father’s Example”

Psalm 103: 1-13

Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington State. After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's 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.
President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. Father’s Day! A day to celebrate and to thank our fathers and to thank God for our fathers! We do this in several, very special ways. Dress socks, underwear, under shirts, neck ties, cards, and cologne. Obviously we show our fathers that we love them in other ways as well, like some pretty expensive gifts and nice dinners and hugs and the 3 most wonderful words in all languages – I Love You! Like many of you I love my father for many reasons…………

For some of you your fathers have already entered into glory with Jesus and what you have today is many memories of your dad. For others of us our fathers are still alive and as long as that is the case we have an opportunity every day to tell them and show them that we love them. Our fathers have had a major role in helping us to be who and what we are today. Every man, woman, and child has had a father or father figure in their life that has made some kind of impact on their life.

Positive or negative influences have been placed upon our life and in our memory by a father’s example and on this day, this Father’s Day, we remember those fatherly examples that have impacted our lives. Now if you are one of those people whose father was anything but a positive influence, then I pray that you will always remember that your Heavenly Father loves you and cares for you and has set an example for you as a man or woman or a child of God!

No matter what, God is a father whose love endures forever! Psalm 68:5 says that God is a father to the fatherless! Hold on to that promise and celebrate God’s Fatherly example today!

King David reminded us this morning in our scripture reading that God has given all of us a father’s example of how to live our lives. It’s really just one thing to remember – LOVE!

We can love because the Bible tells us that God first loved us. That’s an example of a father’s love. Jesus said for all of us to love as we have been loved by God. Not as the world has loved us! Not as maybe your earthly father loved you! But as God, our heavenly Father, has loved us! If we can love others even half that much then what a better world this would be!

Jesus also said that we are to forgive as God has forgiven us. David reminded us this morning in Psalm 103 that God is merciful and has removed our transgressions from us. Now that is love!

George Straight sang a song back in the 80’s called A Father’s Love. “Daddy’s don’t just love their children every now and then – it’s a love without end. Amen!”

I have done many things that I should not have done in my life, especially as a child and teenager. Things against my earthly father that I have had to seek forgiveness for in my life. My father has shown me the love and mercy and forgiveness that can only come from God above.

That’s the kind of fatherly example that God has set for us through Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter and I think about that chapter every year around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Look with me at 1 Cor. 13: 4-7.

There are 2 areas that Paul talks about in this chapter – what love is and what love is not! Look at verse 4 with me. Love is patient and love is kind!

The first two things that Paul wanted to say about what love is has to do with patience and kindness.

My father has not always been patient and neither have I as a father, but thank you Lord that You are patient! Kindness is also a Godly virtue and a kind father or a kind man is a Godly thing!

To see what’s next in the “love is” category we have to skip down to the 2nd part of verse 6 where it says that love rejoices in the truth. A father’s example is one that delights in the truth and where trust is a must. We must be able to trust our heavenly Father, our earthly fathers, and be trustworthy fathers, men, women, and children ourselves. Verse 7 continues with what love is by saying that love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things! The only way any of us can bear, believe, hope, and endure all things is by God through Jesus Christ!

Now if we look at what love is NOT we still see God in this entire category as well. The 2nd part of verse 4 says that love is NOT envious, boastful, or arrogant. Those are NOT Godly characteristics! A patient and kind person is not a jealous or arrogant braggart! Paul goes on to say that love is not rude, it does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful, and it does not rejoice in wrongdoing. In other words, love does not keep records of the past.

That’s what David told us in Psalm 103! God does not keep any record of our failures or shortcomings or sins. Love does not do that! A Godly, loving father or man or woman or youth or any aged child of God forgives and shows mercy!

Men, let me say this to you this morning, we need to remember that we set an example for our children, our grandchildren, and even other children in the way we live our lives! Don’t think for a minute that you are not watched by these kids in this church! They look up to you and I’ve seen on more than one occasion some of them actually physically trying to follow your example. I’ve seen children try to walk like their dads, talk like their dads, and act like their dads. But I’ve also seen them try to follow after the example of other important men in their lives – Sunday school teachers, youth workers, and other male leaders here in the church.

We have a great opportunity to show these children, and all others, the grace, mercy, patience, kindness, and love of God Almighty. It is also so important that you fathers and husbands make sure to set a good example about the importance of coming to church. I believe if the man of the house goes to church and worships God then his children will follow that pattern!

When we have a ho-hum attitude about church and worship on Sunday mornings then that attitude trickles down into our children. Listen to Psalm 103:11-13 one more time, “How great is God’s love for all who worship Him? Greater than the distance between heaven and earth! How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west! Just as parents are kind to their children, the Lord is kind to all who worship Him.”

We, as church going, Godly men need to be the best husbands, best fathers, best Christian men that we can be so others may draw closer to Jesus and God will be glorified! And all of us- men, woman, and children- need to check our witnesses and see what kind of example we are setting for others. I pray that all of us will do our best to be our best for God and all His children! I thank my earthly father for that today, as well as all of the other father figures in my life. Mostly I thank God above, my heavenly Father, for His love because it is a love without end – Amen!