Happy Father’s day!
Today I want to encourage the men and by doing so I hope it will also encourage the women and children in the building
As we begin today I do want to say that if you are a single mom or your husband is not a believer, what I am sharing applies to you too
I know the Bible does not specifically state, “Love conquers all” anywhere, it is a proven idea throughout scripture and especially what Jesus did on the cross. Here are a couple of scriptures that allude to that statement
1 Corinthians 13:7
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
As men we are born conquerors, some do it in sports, others in business, some in their hobbies regardless we are meant to conquer stuff, to be overcomers to always rescue to look for the next mountain to climb.
I want to thank all you men this morning, your mere choice to be in church, to make sure your family is here, to make the effort to come shows you are a conqueror. You want to conqueror the world’s mindset, limitations and garbage that it wants to pour out on you and you are doing it not only for yourself but your family as well! I’m proud of you! I know the Lord is as well!
Today I want to talk with you about a few things that you are doing and you may not even know! Because of your love for the Lord and your family you are conquering….The book of Joshua helps us see
1) You are taking the lead!
The Lord spoke to Joshua as he was preparing to take the lead of the nation of Israel after the death of Moses
Joshua 1: 1-2
After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.
As a Father whether your Dad was a good dad or a lousy one, you now have the power to move on and complete the task the Lord gave your Father. As you allow love to conquer all to forgive your own father’s inadequacies, the Lord will fill you to overflowing with His love.
You are called to lead your family better than your Father led you either standing on the shoulders of his anointing or now standing on the strength of men of God all around you.
You are called to be a better husband and Father than your Father was so that each successive generation will keep getting better and reflecting Jesus more.
God gave your Father the task of raising godly men and women in his household whether he did that or not will not leave you at a disadvantage, why? You have chosen to be part of this fellowship, to grow deeper in the Lord to be faithful to the word of God and to make sure your children are part of this ministry as well, growing in their faith.
Whether your father is dead or alive I would encourage you to be thankful for him. We don’t know what they went through as children, (my grandfather’s story) if he was a bad example, you saw that as an opportunity to overcome that example (How do I know? Because you are here). If he was a good example, although none of us are perfect, he gave you the building blocks to be the man you are and are becoming.
2) You are trusting in the promises of God!
It is a leap of faith to be a good Father even if you had a good Father by your faithfully being in the word, in prayer, and coming to be part of this fellowship shows you trusting in those promises.
Joshua 1:3
I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you.
If you are a good parent, you will be concerned about your children, their future. Because you are faithful to the Lord, regardless of the situation with your children you can trust the Lord’s word, his promise to you to be true. Your love shines through as you trust the Lord for your children as you trust Him and show your children that you trust Him to fulfill His promises to you
Proverbs 22:6-9
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. 7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. 8 Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will come to an end. 9 Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.
We often stand on verse 6 in other translations it is “train up a child in the right path and when he is old they will not stray from it!”
You can stand on that promise regardless of how long it may take as you have chosen to raise your children to know and love the Lord, even if they stray they will come back….I also believe the following verses tie it in that as you have raised them they will be rich in the things of the Lord and God may trust them with the mammon of this world and they will be overcomers of the injustices and they will be generous with their love, time, energy and finances as you have raised them to do so….
Today as a father who is bringing his children to church, raising them to be who God has called them to be you can trust in the promises of God, the Hundreds that are in the Word. Believing each one as part of your heritage for your children!
Please allow me to encourage those father’s whose children are grown. Your example now whether you were a man of faith as your children were growing up or not, can reach your children, can impact their lives. God is always faithful to his Word. I believe if we don’t give up God will reach them, heal broken relationship and bring them to faith….God wants them to know Him more than you want them to know Him
Last today from this same chapter
Joshua 1:9
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
As a father, your love at times may seem inadequate you may feel totally out of place. You may not know how to raise boys or to raise girls. You may not be skilled at sports, hunting fishing, tea parties or the hobbies your kids want to get into but you don’t need to be discouraged the Lord is with you wherever you go and He will show you how to connect with your kids.
You may be watching the news, seeing what is going on in the world and wonder how your kids are going to make it, what kind of world are they going to grow up in. I can’t emphasize enough you’re making the decision to grow to be the man of God the Lord wants you to be, you’re leading your household in love you’re making the decision that church is a priority. Says to your children there is hope. You are giving them the tools to make the world a much better place.
As long as there are men like you raising your children in the things of God, there is hope.
Joshua was facing the impossible. God had given the land to Israel but there were giants in the land, there were strongly fortified cities. There were at least 7 different nations that all hated Israel. God was encouraging Joshua that as long as He was with them, they did not need to be afraid.
The world may look impossible to you, you may feel overwhelmed by the task at hand but you have placed yourself in a position to make the impossible possible.
You don’t have to be a perfect dad, there is no such thing by the way, you don’t have to be the best at anything. If you keep doing what you are doing
1) Take the lead – regardless of how you were raised keep choosing to raise your children to be godly men and women
2) Trust in the promises – as you read God’s word and know God’s word you can stand on what he says. You are giving your children a hand up by showing them that you trust God and His word and they can too
3) Don’t be afraid – God is with you always; He will not fail you. Yes, the world around us is a mess and I don’t know what it will be like when your children are grown. I do know and encourage you to believe it will be a better place because your children were raised with a strong faith…as long as there are people who are choosing to trust the Lord, there is hope
Love does conquer all…allow me to repeat the verses we started out with today
1 Corinthians 13:7
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Your love of the Father is making you the Father your children need…your never losing faith, always having hope, and standing and believing through it all brings with it a boldness full of love that will change your family, your children and their world.
Thank you for loving your family, but thank you most of all for loving the Lord.