SERMON SUMMARY
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Father's Day
Sermon given by Senior Pastor, Dan Tabolt
The History of
Father's Day
Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a
"father's day" in 1909, to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart,
a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died in childbirth. Mr.
Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself
on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became
an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had
shown in raising his children as a single parent.
The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane
Washington.
But it was not until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson signed a
presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's
Day.
Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men
who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult
male friend.
For some, father’s day can be a perplexing or painful day. Maybe you never
experienced a fathers love and guidance. You could have had a bad father
or even a terrible father. The idea of honoring him is difficult for you.
The truth is that we all have a need for a father in our lives. We can say
we don’t but the emptiness of not having one lives on. Did you know that
the God of all creation wants to Father you?
2 Cor 6:16-18
For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
"I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they
shall be My people."
17 Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do
not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." 18'I will be a Father
to you , And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."
NKJV
I. The Hearts of Father and Children.
1. Last word for 400 year in the OT.
Mal 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, And
the hearts of the children to their fathers.
2. First Word in the NT.
Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for
your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you
shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many
will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the
Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be
filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will
turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also
go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of
the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the
just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." NKJV
So what is the significance of this prophecy about fathers and children in
these last days?
God pulls this scripture out of the OT to start a new day of the Lord. He
connects preparing the way of the Lord to the prophet Elijah , the spirit
of Elijah, and the power of his ministry. God also connects to fathers and
our children.
II. Three Observations from Elijah Reference.
1. Elijah a seasoned citizen. [Not a Sr. citizen]
Elijah would be a father in his generation. Paul said, “1 Cor 4:15-16
15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you
do not have many fathers ; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through
the gospel.
Elijah walked with God is his generation. He had a signs and wonders
ministry. The power of God was manifested in his life. He was not running
on some religious remote control but knew the difference between a form of
God and the power of God.
Power of God in seven miracles. Starting in 1 Kings 17. We see the
following, Prophecy of a drought, miracle of food, miracle of the widows
oil, resurrection of her son, victory at Mt. Carmel, miracle of the rain.
2. The Spirit of Elijah and desert places.
Elijah was a man of God in his time. He was the touch bearer in his
generation. He was a man that stood before the presence of God. We get to
look into the heart of Elijah a bit in this scripture after one of his
greatest moments in God.
1 Kings 19:10 So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of
hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down
Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and
they seek to take my life."
Elijah was called in desert and dry places to walk with God. Life is both
wonderful and hard. He, like all of us, has had his good days and his bad.
James 5:17-18 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed
earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for
three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave
rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
And at the end of his life he was tried. But God was not done with his
yet, he was to pore all that he had into a young man by the name of Elisha.
3. To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.
1 Kings 19 Elisha Follows Elijah
So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was
plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth.
Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. 20 And he left the
oxen and ran after Elijah.
Elisha serve as Elijah servant and learn for him as a disciple. Paul said
about a son in the faith. Phil 2:25 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send
Timothy to you shortly,… I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely
care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are
of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with
his father he served with me in the gospel.
Elisha began to burn with the same heart as Elijah, and would not leave
him.
2 Kings 2:1-3 And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up
Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from
Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha,"Stay here, please, for the LORD has
sent me on to Bethel."But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as your
soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they went down to Bethel.
2Kings 2: 4-14 Open up your bibles and Read The Story!
Are we so foolish as to think that all that God has done will end with us?
We have only just begun. Greater works will be done by our sons and
daughters for they shall receive the power and a double portion.
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