Pastor Mark Mikels - June 2 h 2015
"RISE TO THE CHALLENGE - LEAVE A LEGACY!"
(Father's Day Message)
(Selected Scriptures)
Intro ... You know how it's commonly said,
"I'd rather see o sermon fhon hear one any day"?
Well, today that opportunity will be yours ... Today you are going to 'see'
this sermon (at least the main points of it) before you 'hear' it.
FATHER'S DAY VIDEO
That short video identified what I'm calling this morning ...
THREE KEYS TO A LASTING LEGACY ...
LOVE ... FOLLOW ... LEAD
Let's examine them one by one ...
FIRST KEY: LOVE
* LOVE GOD - YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN
All Hebrew fathers knew and still know that that is at the top of the list.
As the newly formed nation stood on the banks of the Jordan River ready
to enter the Promised Land, as they stood there with the dust of the desert
still on their feet, Moses told them that they must, above all else ...
"Love the Lord your God ..."
(Deuteronomy 6:4a)
Long centuries later the Lord Jesus, their Promised Messiah, would come right
out and declare to them that the God that they hod been loving for so long
could be and in fact desired to be addressed in the following way ...
"Our Father in Heaven - Hallowed be Thy Name."
(Matthew 6:9)
The first part of the first key to leaving a lasting legacy as a Christian Father
(or primary parent) is to Love God, Your Heavenly Father .
The second part of this first key is equally important ...
If you as a Christian Father/Parent are to leave a lasting legacy, you must ...
* LOVE YOUR CHILDREN - YOUR HERITAGE ON EARTH
The Old Testament Scriptures are filled w\ih tremendous statements regarding
the values and worih of children - The Old Testament Scriptures could give
one the impression that the bringing of children into the world and the
preparing of children for responsible adulthood in the v\/orld are the
chief duties and responsibilities of man.
Here are just a couple of those Scriptures ...
"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord ..."
(Psalm 127:3)
Wealth wos not to be measured exclusively in cattle and camels - in houses
and lands ... Wealth wos also measured in the children that formed ones
family. Children carry on the family's name - children expand the family's
influence in the v\/orld and increase the family service for God.
"Thy children (will be) like olive plants round about thy table."
(Psalm 128:3)
Like olive trees nev\/ly planted in the orchard are children gathered around the
family table - they bear the promise and the potential of a fruitful life.
If tended weW they w\\\ bring forth much goodness.
LOVE your chiildren: They are your Heritage and Harvest .
" If fended well ..." That's the issue isn't it ... How do you 'fend well' these
little (and after a while, not so little) 'olive planfs' that sit around your table?
The First Key is absolutely critical ...
If you don't truly ' Love God Your Fafherin Heaven ' and don't truly ' Love Your
Children Your Herifaae on Earft) ' then 'Chrisfian Parenfing' is out the v\/indov\/;
but Loving God and Loving them don't automatically cause good 'Fafhering'
to happen.
There are fwo more keys to "Leaving o Lasting Legacy' that must
come into play.
Here is the ...
SECOND KEY: FOLLOW
* FOLLOW GOD ENTHUSIASTICALLY
Here's how Moses put it long centuries ago ...
"Love the Lord your God witti all your l)eart and
with all your soul and with all your strength."
(Deuteronomy 6:4)
Follow God entt)usiastically ...
Allow your children to see that you are excited about your faith ...
Allow them to at least occasionally hear you say after church on Sunday,
"Wasn't ttiat an awesome message" or "Didn't you just feel fhe presence of
tt)e Spirit in fhe service today" or simply 'Isn't it great to be a Ct)ristian^"
Children note what we get 'enttiused about' ...
In addition to Tallowing God Entt)usiastically' we must ...
* FOLLOW GOD EXCLUSIVELY
Again we take our cue from Moses that ancient 'Giver of Guidelines for God-
Honoring Fattiers' ...
"Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only ...
Do not follow other gods ..."
(Deuteronomy 6:13-14)
Follow God exclusively ...
Now I know that it's easy to 'score ourselves higt)' on this one. After all the
days of Baal worship and Asherah poles are long gone. But the Apostle Paul
pointed out to the Roman Church that the problem is not with just those
specific 'gods' of the ancient world but that men tend to 'worship (many
kinds of) created tt)ings' rather than the 'Creator Himself.
' Worship ' means to ...
'Bow down and surrender ourselves completely to somettiing /someone
ttiat we consider to have great wortti - somettiing or someone ttiat
we invest our entire selves in - ttiat we give our entire selves to.'
That certainly broadens out the question and multiplies the possibilities.
Do our kids sense that there is anything more important in our life than
'Our Heavenly Fofher' and the 'Fomily' that he has given to us?
Measure yourself by asking this question ...
"Does my enthusiasm for God and for the things of God (including
my family) exceed my enthusiasm for anything else in my life?"
Children can easily note and do note what seems to be most important
to us - they can tell if we are 'Following God Exclusively' or if there are
other things that seem to be equally (if not more) important.
Now in addition to following God enthusiastically and exclusively .
Fathers who would 'leave a lasting legacy' ...
* FOLLOW GOD EXACTLY
Once again we turn to Moses for direction ...
"Be careful to do wtiat ttie Lord your God has commanded you;
do not turn aside to the rigtit or to fhe left. Walk in all ttie way
tt)at fhe Lord your God has commanded you ..."
(Deuteronomy 5:32-33)
Generally speaking God's Word does not leave a lot of 'wiggle room'.
God has mode it very clear what things ' please Him ' and what things
' displease Him ' - He has been very exact in His pronouncements.
It's important that we as earthly fathers understand that everything the Bible
says, it says for a reason ...
It's important for us to understand that in Jesus Christ and in His Church we
have the final expression of God's Will for us His Children.
Christian Fathers must devour and seek to master New Testament teaching
regarding the Person and Purpose of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the ONE who said ...
7 am the Way and the Truth and the Life' - no one can come to the Father
(can properly love the Father and please the Father) except through me.'
(John 14:6)
Christian Fathers put their feet enthusiastically and exclusively and exactly
upon the path first walked by Jesus Hinnself.
When children see their father guiding the fannily along that path laid out in
the Scripture, they take note ...
When children see their father 'making if up as he goes along',
one day doing what the Bible says and the next day doing sonnething else,
they also take note .
FollowinQ the God you love enthusiastically and exclusively and exactly
prepares you as an earthly Father/Parent to take a hold of the next
Key To A LastinQ Lepacy ' with confidence resolve.
And here it is ...
THIRD KEY: LEAD
* LEAD YOUR CHILDREN SENSITIVELY
"Fathers, do not exasperate your children ..."
(Ephesians 6:4a)
Exasperation happens when relationship has broken down - exasperation
happens when children feel that you either don't understand thenn or
that you don't even care about understanding thenn.
A Father who truly loves his children will never fall victinn to that circunnstance ...
Knowing thenn and understanding thenn as objects of his love is a top
priority for hinn.
His children will always feel free to conne to hinn with their needs and desires.
He will never allow them to feel that they are a nuisance or that they are
filled with nonsense.
* LEAD YOUR CHILDREN SPECIFICALLY
"Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord"
(Ephesians 6:4b)
Christian Truth is a very specific kind of truth ... It is nowhere near as broadly
disseminated as it once was.
In the home is where Christian Teaching and Christian Training is to be initially
and even primarily introduced - the Father of the family is the one who can
most effectively provide it.
Loving and life-giving words from a father's mouth have a way of sinking deep
into a child's heart ...
Christian fathers must be concerned with the dual questions:
"Do my children understand the Christian Faith"
(and)
"Have they yielded their hearts to the Savior"?
* LEAD YOUR CHILDREN STRATEGICALLY
"As for me and my house (after me) we will serve the Lord."
(Joshua 24:15)
Joshua saw a bigger picture than just his own 'wa//c with the Lord'. He saw the
purposes of God being fulfilled through his offspring - He knew that there was
coming a day when they would be the leaders of their own families and
perhaps the nation - a day when he could no longer decide for them.
Christian fathers see beyond the moment - they yearn for the day when each
of their children will confidently say (with the Apostle Paul) ...
"When I became a man (an adult),
/ put childish things behind me. "
(1 Corinthians 13:1 1)
Final Thot ...
A Father's GOAL is to see all of His Children become
INDEPENDENTLY DEPENDENT upon the LORD !
