6/17/16-Psalm 1; Titus 1:1-9-Dad We Really Need You
Happy Fathers Day to you!
Like on Mother’s Day, we said, “Mom, We Really Need You”. Today, we now say, “Dad. We really need you”. This sermon is mean to show what holiness planted on the rock of Christ looks like, and it applies to us men.
We live during a time when we see young men and women acting hurtfully toward themselves and others, and we wonder, “What was their home life like?”
We live in a world where often young boys are not taught to act like men, never taught how to properly treat a lady. Brothers, we have work to do.
We as men can be leaders in the lives of others, mentoring them, and giving them someone they can look up to, because this is what “Discipleship” looks like,
When we look back at Gen. 1:26-27 and it says God made mankind in His image. This image is a royal word, used to describe an ambassador of a kingdom.
…and we already know we are Christ’s ambassadors, representing the kingdom of God to the world.
In Christ, we are given new identities as believers, we are disciples and children of our heavenly King (and we can have joy in that!)
Yet, this joyful truth also calls and beckons to our souls to remember who we are. We talked on Mother’s Day about how you ladies are princesses and royalty.
You ladies bear the image of God in your compassion, love, and mystery. Us men also bear His image, but in a different way.
We reflect God’s courage, His desire to protect, His acts of justice and fairness, and safety for our loved ones.
That is exactly part of who Jesus is, what Adam was meant to be, and who we as men are meant to be.
Yet, we do not need to look back at our earthly father, Adam. Rather, we look to our Heavenly Father, who did act,
Culture & media may not give us too many men to look to and admire, so sometimes it can be hard for our young men to know what it means to be good.
That is why we as Christian men must look to Jesus and find guys in our lives who love Jesus, who know how to lead with character and integrity.
…and then we grow to be more like them. We are discipled by them so that we can turn around then disciple others, and it goes on and on. This is how the Christian life is passed from generation to generation.
Let us look at Titus 1:1-9 and examine each of the characteristics of what leaders in the church are to be.
You may be saying “Yes Craig, but this applies specifically to ministers.” And I answer, “Yes, but we are all called to be ministers”
…and these qualities we would all do well to learn and put into practice. All of it leads to verse 9,
Verse 9-Paul says a man of God must know the Bible so he can lead with truth and know where falsehood and lies are in the world.
For we are all called to be a kingdom of ministers for the sake of God and His good news to people.
Maybe you aren’t a teacher in the formal sense, but when we as Christians live in the world, people are watching, and so they are learning about God through us.
If so, we are called to live lives as men, good men, in order that we may thank God and to lead and protect our families, friends,
…even the strangers who may be angels in our midst 😉 But remember this: How you live is a reflection of what you believe about God
Men, to be a good man, you must get right in your relationship with Jesus. He is the only one who can make us into good men.
Good men. Men who continue to love our wives and our families so we will work to make the world better for them.
Men who have hands soft enough to carry the broken, yet hard enough to fight against the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion ready to devour.
God calls us to be men. Whereas the kingdom of the devil tells us to be led by our sinful passions, God calls us to led by His Spirit.
Look at Psalm 1-The righteous man delights in God’s Word. He is like a tree nourished by the Holy Spirit so that everything He does is good.
Dad we really need you. So men, I call upon all of us here to stand together and renew our commitment to following Jesus.
If you have children and/or grandchildren, be a Christian father to them, If not, find those who look to you and lead them to Jesus.
Let us be good men, men our heavenly Father could be proud of, and when we stumble, let us look to Him to shape us into men we need to be. Men who will be lovers of God, leaders in our families and jobs, men who when the world says, “Dad, we need you” we can answer with boldness and say, “in Jesus’ name, I’m here”.