Title: Honoring Your FatherFocus: Since the Bible tells us we ought to honor our fathers, we should honor them by being specific about what we appreciate about them including their prayers for us, the time they spend with us, their blessings upon us, and their empowerment to us.
Function: To motivate the hearers to purposefully honor their fathers, especially their heavenly father
Text: 2 Tim 1:1-8
Intro: 1. 3 fathers in waiting room a. Nurse come out to tell one he have twins, he replied, "Amazing, I work for the Minnesota Twins" b. Came out to second, he had triplets. "Amazing, I work for 3M" c. The third father fainted. After revived, said he worked for 7-11 2. Becoming a Father can be a mixture of excitement and anxiety 3. Fathers shape their children, who shape the world 4. Is it any wonder that the Bible tells us to honor our Fathers? 5. I had trouble with sermon a. Most mothers day sermons are nice, sentimental b. Father’s Day sermons about how we should be better fathers c. Will try to avoid that 6. This morning we will look at some other reasons to honor Fathers 7. TEXT: 2 Tim 1:1-8 - Paul frames his relationship to Timothy as father and son - Passage reveals several things Fathers do I. v.6-8 - Fathers Empower their Children A. Paul gave a gift to Timothy a. Miraculous? b. Timothy’s Ministry? B. Whatever it was, Paul focuses on the “effect” of the gift 1. Fear v.s. Power. How did Paul instill “power?” a. Paul never gave up, even in prison b. Always focused on God’s will c. Embraced weakness and relied on God 2. Fear v.s. Love. How? a. Paul loved people - Despair when not hear about how they doing - Willing to spend and be spent (2 Cor 12:15) b. Love is always stronger than fear 3. Discipline/Sound Judgement/Discernment. How? a. Paul always in prayer, as his letters show b. He in contact with God C. I can remember how Dad empowered me/fan my flame 1. Included me in so much - Visits; Bus; Studies; Filmstrips; Youth 2. Eventually I started to do things on my own 3. Empowered to grow and move forward on my own D. Fathers empower their children 1. I not sure whether to honor Dad, or be challenged here 2. I think I will do both II. v. 5 - Fathers Bless their Children A. A blessing is a powerful thing 1. We understand what it means to have God’s blessing a. Means we in favor with God b. When that happens, life is good 2. What about having Dad’s blessing? a. If not have it, life may not be so good b. Some people’s lives messed up a long time without it c. It so highly valued, Esau willing to kill because it stolen B. Gen 27 - Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing 1. v.27 - Notice blessing that meant for Esau 2. v.38 - Esau get a blessing or a curse? 3. No, he got a blessing (v.40b) - Would get past this 4. Gen 33:9 - Esau had a good life C. Elements of a Blessing 1. Express High Value for your Son 2. Positive vision for the future 3. Touch D. Fathers bless their children all the time - Good job; I am proud of you; you can do it; You are going to do great... III. v. 4 - Fathers Spend quality time with their children A. And they do it with joy (v.4b) B. ILL: One of the most joyous things coming home to family 1. Kids run to you, “Daddy!” 2. Play tickle-bot or have a ticklefest 3. Joy in doing things together - Playing ball; models; reading C. But what about Eph 6:4 - Bring up children in discipline & instruction 1. How do you do that? TIME! 2. Can’t do it without time because have no influence 3. Values are more caught then they are taught D. ILL: Remember my Dad growing up 1. Collect leaves; built bodels; lifted weights, told stories, went out for ice cream; took trips -- singing school 2. He training me how to act, behave, etc. and I not even know it IV. v.3 - Fathers Pray for their Children A. A father prays for AND with his children B. This is very, very powerful 1. Child get a glimpse of both your frailty - power in that 2. Child sees your vulnerabilities 3. Praying with your child is in itself a gift and blessing 4. “FAther is never taller then when stoops to pray with child” C. ILL: One of my boys had a bad day, gotten in so much trouble 1. Grounded to his room after a long lecture 2. Went upstairs, planning on a “lecture prayer” 3. He couldn’t even look at me 4. I couldn’t do it, he was so crushed from everything 5. I prayed, “God I thank you so much that ____ is my son. I know he had a rough day, but that doesn’t matter now. I am so very proud of him, and he is so important to me. 6. Looked at me with disbelief, gave me hug & cried 7. Said, “I love you Dad.” (Weight lifted off his shoulders) D. Prayer with your kids is so powerful I am not perfect in any sense of the word, and I do not want me kids to think of God in the way they think of their Dad. 1. Maybe you have trouble with God as Father because of your Dad 2. Don’t compare God to Dad, should be other way around 3. I’ve come to realize that God is the model Father 4. As a Dad, I should compare myself to him, he is the model Father V. God is the Model Father (Psalm 103:8-14) A. v.8-9 - The model father is slow to anger B. v.10 - THe model father is merciful C. v.11-12 - The model father does not keep records of wrongs D. v. 13 - The model father is full of compassion E. v.14 - The model father is understanding of his kids limitations Concl: 1. We should honor our Father - This is good and acceptable to God a. How? b. Notice first and last phrase of Psalm 103 - Bless the Lord c. Our Heavenly Father has blessed us, we should return it d. We should also bless our Dad’s - Let them know you value them 2. Invitation: a. Do you have a Heavenly Father? Have you become his child? b. Do you want to be his child and enjoy his blessing? c. You can if you believe that Jesus, his son, died and rose d. You can if you turn your life over to him as Lord e. You can if you confess him as your Lord and Savoir f. You can if you have your sins washed away 3. Once it is washed away, the Father will remember it no more! 4. You will become his newborn, pure, precious child