Father’s Day 2022

Happy Father’s Day let me begin with a couple quotes for you. . .

“My wife is so analytical with raising kids, and I am not. My feeling is if they turn out good, then that means I was a good daddy and put a lot of effort into it. If they turn out bad, it means they took after her side of the family.” —Jeff Foxworthy

“The worst part about being a parent is when one of your kids farts and you have to pretend it wasn’t cool.” —Rob Delaney 

 Bad I know, it wait it gets worse here’s a few dad jokes for you as well. . .

If two vegetarians get in an argument, is it still called beef?

I was wondering why the frisbee kept getting bigger and bigger. Then it hit me.

I was in the bank yesterday and I saw a lady at the bank checking her balance so I pushed her over.

You know I wish my kids weren’t offended by my Frozen jokes. They really need to let it go!

Did you hear the one about the roof? Never mind, it’s over your head.

I was going to tell a time-traveling joke, but you didn’t like it.

Wanna hear a joke about construction?  We’ll have to wait I’m still workin’ on it!

I talk to myself because sometimes I just need expert advice.

Lastly. . .

Let me share eight things you will never hear dad say:

1. Well, how ’bout that? I’m lost! Looks like we’ll have to stop and ask for directions.
   2. You know Pumpkin, now that you’re thirteen, you’ll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won’t that be fun?
   3. I noticed that all your friends have a certain hostile attitude. I like that.
   4. Here’s a credit card and the keys to my new car. GO CRAZY!!
   5. Your mother and I are going away for the weekend. You might want to consider throwing a party.
   6. Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies–ya know–that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a mechanic and pay whatever he asks.
   7. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring and a tattoo. Now quit your bellyaching, and let’s go to the mall.
   8. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.

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1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV) – ²⁶ Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 (TPT): Brothers and sisters, consider who you were when God called you to salvation. Not many of you were wise scholars by human standards, nor were many of you in positions of power. Not many of you were considered the elite when you answered God’s call. 27 But God chose those whom the world considers foolish to shame those who think they are wise, and God chose the puny and powerless to shame the high and mighty. 28 He chose the lowly, the laughable in the world’s eyes—nobodies—so that he would shame the somebodies. For he chose what is regarded as insignificant in order to supersede what is regarded as prominent, 29 so that there would be no place for prideful boasting in God’s presence. 30 For it is not from man that we draw our life but from God as we are being joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. And now he is our God-given wisdom, our virtue, our holiness, and our redemption. 31 And this fulfills what is written: If anyone boasts, let him only boast in all that the Lord has done!

This morning I want to tell you how important it is to be Men of Promise, and really, for everyone, we need to be a man or a woman of Promise.

Did any of you have a tough week this week, just every time you turned around, something was breaking down, or was missing, or it seemed as if your situation could have been at least a little better?

Let me share a story with you. . .

A man was having a real hard time. His business was falling apart; his wife was leaving him because of the financial problems. He couldn’t meet the mortgage payments on his home.  One day he is driving into work, and he had an accident. Soon, a policeman is writing out a ticket and an ambulance is coming because the guy in the other car has been hurt. The businessman doesn’t know if his insurance is up to date and he’s had about enough.  He looks up and says, “God, Why me?” And a big voice comes booming out of the sky and says, “Well, Sam, the truth is, there’s something about you that just ticks me off.”

Now that’s a tough week.

But aren’t you glad no matter how rough your week has been, no matter all the things that have seemingly went against you, you can know that God is not out to get you. He’s not ticked off at you.

Sometimes life just gets tough.  One of the most impressive characteristics about God is that He is a God who makes covenants, promises if you will, and He keeps them.

Remember Abraham? God said, “Pick up all your office equipment, all you stuff, your family and go to another country that I will show you, and if you obey, I will bless you beyond your wildest dreams.”

And because of his willingness to trust God with the unknown Abraham became the Father of Nations.   God kept his Promise.

You remember Moses? Remember the burning bush?

Moses was a man who didn’t feel very good about himself, he stuttered, he didn’t see himself as a leader, and he had a sorted past, he had even killed a man. Yet, God promised to use him to deliver the Israelites if he would be obedient. And God delivered on His promise.

I believe our passage this morning, this message is what God has put on my heart to share with you, the men of this church, the dads, the husbands, the granddads, the future dads.

Let’s look at verses 26-29 again:

²⁶ Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.

I believe that God is looking for Men of Promise today; I believe God is raising Men of Promise in our Country, because it’s going to take strong Christian men of conviction and of courage to stand up to our woke society.

To let everyone understand God loves them but His Word changes not.

Every man can be a man of Promise. The question is, “Are you going to be one of those Men?”

Ladies, will you be a Lady of Promise? It’s going to take our families coming together; it’s going to take our church coming together, with a purpose of unity and a focus on keeping the faith for us to make a difference in our community.
The apostle Paul asks His Christian brothers to remember, to “think of what you were when you were called.”

In essence he says, Remember, think of what you were without Christ.” Remember what your life was like before Jesus saved you, before He set you free from the bondage of sin. . .Do you remember your life before Christ?

I was lost. . .I was empty. . .I was self-absorbed. . .I only kept promises if it benefited me.

I don’t know about you, but looking at what my life was like before Christ, It wasn’t pretty at all.
Thank God that Christ took my weakness, my mess-ups, my sin and transformed it into His likeness, His Holiness, His righteousness.  He transformed my life and empowered me through the Holy Spirit to live life abundantly and free or regrets and shame.

Can I tell you something, you have been chosen. You have been picked.

Let me put it this way. . .How many of you remember at recess or in gym class when two people would pick teams, and we would all line up by the wall, one by one, the players were picked.

And if you were one of the first ones picked, you didn’t have a problem with this process. But, if you were one of the last ones picked, it was kind of humiliating, because what we felt was happening is that instead of the team picking you, the other team was really saying, “We don’t want him, you take him.”

Truth is you weren’t picked as much as you were assigned.

I love that Capital One commercial where they were saying it’s easier then this.   And they have these kids lined up to pick their teams and Charles Barkley is in the line and the little girl picks him over the other young kids.   It’s a no brainer.   What’s in your wallet.

And if there’s one thing we should pick up on in verses 26-29 it’s the fact that God picked us, He choose us. He didn’t choose us with a clause that if things didn’t work out in the contract that he could trade us for another if we didn’t perform.

He didn’t take us because the other team didn’t want us, He choose us because He wanted us on His team.

You have been chosen.

I don’t know about you, but there have been times when I felt like I was failing miserably at being a Dad. Those days when the kids were going crazy.

When I read our passage this morning though I feel like I have Hope. Because part of God’s plan is to take the weak things of this world, you and me, with all our shortcomings, with all our hang-ups, God wants to take us and mold us into men and women who will be over-comers in this world with all its strongholds and distractions.

Look at verse 27-29

²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.

God hasn’t chosen you to be a Man of Promise so you can say, “Look at Me,” but he has called you to be a Man of Promise so your family, so your church, so your community will have a good picture, a good reflection of God the Father, we are His ambassadors to our families, to our church, to our friends and neighbors in our community. If they don’t see God living in us, where are they going to see it?

God has called us, the Word says he has “chosen” you to make a difference, to be men of Promise, how are we doing?

In 1988 Michael Jackson sang a song called Man In The Mirror.

Let me read you a few of those lyrics. . .

I’m Gonna Make A Change,

For Once In My Life

It’s Gonna Feel Real Good,

Gonna Make A Difference

Gonna Make It Right . . .

I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror

I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways

And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer

If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place

Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change

I’ve Been A Victim Of A Selfish Kind Of Love

It’s Time That I Realize That There Are Some With No

Home, Not A Nickel To Loan

Could It Be Really Me,Pretending That They’re Not Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred, Somebody’s Broken Heart

And A Washed-Out Dream

They Follow The Pattern Of The Wind, Ya’ See

Cause They Got No Place To Be

That’s Why I’m Starting With Me

I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror

I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways

And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer

If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place

Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make A Change

So church let me ask you today. . .

When you examine the man you see in the mirror, are you pleased with what you see?  I’m not talking about your looks. I am speaking of your character, your integrity.  I am speaking of a life that is pleasing before God.

Let me close by reading a tribute to fathers from the late Paul Harvey.

A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth, without an anesthetic.

A father is a thing that growls when it feels good–and laughs loud when it’s scared half to death.

A father never feels entirely worthy of worship in his child’s eyes. He never is quite the hero his daughter thinks, never quite the man his son believes him to be. This worries him, sometimes, so he works too hard to try and smooth the rough places in the road for those of his own who will follow him.

A father is a thing that gets very angry when school grades aren’t as good as he thinks they should be. He scolds his son although he knows it’s the teacher’s fault.

Fathers grow old faster than other people.

And while mothers can cry where it shows, fathers stand there and beam outside–and die inside. Fathers have very stout hearts, so they have to be broken sometimes or no one would know what is inside.

Fathers give daughters away to other men who aren’t nearly good enough so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anybody’s.

Fathers fight dragons almost daily. They hurry away from the breakfast table, off to the arena which is sometimes called an office or a workshop…where they tackle the dragon with three heads: Weariness, Work and Monotony.

Knights in shining armor.

Fathers make bets with insurance companies about who will live the longest. Though they know the odds, they keep right on betting. Even as the odds get higher and higher, they keep right on betting more and more.

And one day they lose.

But fathers enjoy an earthly immortality and the bet is paid off to the part of him he leaves behind.

I don’t know where fathers go when they die. But I have an idea that after a good rest, he won’t be happy unless there is work to do. He won’t just sit on a cloud and wait for the girl he’s loved and the children she bore. He’ll be busy there, too. . .oiling the gates, smoothing the way.