Father's Day Sermon
Difficulties
Intro: Men first of all I want to once again wish all of you a Happy Father's Day. My message is to all men today weather you are a father or not. The message can also in places be applied to everyone of all ages but especially to men. My message is on DIFFICULTIES. Things that are hard. I'm glad my parents didn't try to make a sissy out of me growing up. They made me face up to responsibilities. I had to face the music when I made mistakes. They helped prepare me for the time when I would be away from their influence. They never took my side over my teachers, or police or someone else in authority. Today more than ever you have to make sure the authority is on the right side. It wasn't that hard to determine back then as it is now.
1. Like most kids I got bruises, cuts, stitches, sprains, fights. I knew I could come to them with problems too big for me.
2. They taught me the value of work. I cut grass, pulled weeds, sold cool aide on the corner, washed cars, had paper routes. We learned to never tell our parents that we were bored. If you did you would be peeling potatoes or doing dishes, sorting laundry which probably why we spent so much time outside playing. If we couldn't hear or see them we didn't have to do as many chores.
3. Yet it helped prepare us for life's challenges. I'm afraid today many kids are going to be overwhelmed one day as adults IF they do not learn what most of us learned as kids. They will learn if we are more interested in being the parent instead of trying to avoid disagreements and instead of wanting to be buddy buddy. We do them no favors by letting them exercise their will over ours!!!! Especially in spiritual matters. THEY need to realize that life is hard at times AND it can at times seem harder than it really is.
4. PS 18:29. David speaks this Psalm unto the Lord when he was delivered from his enemies, especially King Saul. This Psalm is a celebration of the fact that the God of Israel intervened in history on behalf of David. IT WAS IN GOING through his difficulties that brought David closer to God. David celebrates that here.
5. A man was walking to a destination while vacationing. As he walked a friend passed by in the opposite direction on a bike. When he was passing he said to him, " There are 20 hills between here and your destination."
6. Well, it about took the wind out of his sails just to think about it. The truth is there were not 20 hills, there were some. And the CHANGE walking a few hills was actually more interesting than the boredom of a straight path with no change of scenery.
7. Many imaginary difficulties can turn into positive experiences when looking back. A Christian man has every right to be optimistic in life in spite of circumstances if he has surrendered to the Lord and is not fighting God's will.
Let's look at the way some men faced difficulty in the Bible...some are real hard places..
I. Red Sea Difficulty, EX 14: 13-22
1. There is a time to pray and a time to act. This passage is telling us that prayer is no substitute for obedience..
2. God is now standing between them and their enemy.
3. Sometimes the Lord says it's not time to pray, it is time to act and to do what I've been saying to you. I've been waiting and I'm still waiting!! WHAT is it this morning? tithing? Did you know that if you tithe you still have to live within your means. "I tithe so I can run up my credit car or buy a Mercedes." That is not what this Bible or this pastor teaches.
4. What is it? baptism? You are saved but still have not taken that first step of obedience, perhaps you are afraid of what others might think. How about what God thinks??Isn't that what is more important?
5. What is it? Church membership??paying a debt, making amends or restitution to someone, righting a wrong. Making a relationship honorable.
The Bible says he that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin. Is there something you are suppose to do? GOD says stop praying to me and do it. WE can pray for a neighbor for family member to be saved but then we should be the one to tell them how to be saved. Sometimes God says the answer to your prayer is found in obedience to what I have told you..Israel had to march into the Red Sea to be saved...
II. ANOTHER DIFFICULTY WE CAN LOOK AT TODAY THAT MAYBE YOU FACE..THE SAUL OF PERSECUTION..
1. IN MANY COUNTRIES TODAY IT IS ILLEGAL TO preach the gospel, or worship in public unless it is approved by the gov't. Many Christians in God's family today are in prison, or beaten, or about to be or killed. Iran today is in a struggle for freedom of expression. Many are being killed as their govt turns off tv and radio communications but that alone does not work today. The news is still getting out.
2. I Sam 27:1-4,. David because of his fear of Saul chooses to live among the enemies of Israel rather than face Saul who is jealous and vengeful. FEAR caused David to make a bad decision. He nearly but for the grace of God that intervened joined Israel's enemy and fought against Israel. CH 28:1,2,29:1-4
3. Young people can make the same mistake today. Fear of what others think about you. Shouldn't you care more about what God thinks about you young people or what your parents think about you rather than a so called friend or group of so called friends? If you have to disobey your parents to be accepted by someone then you don't need them. The dirty little secret is they are not your friends. Real friends encourage you to do right.
4. David ends up being turned away by the wrong crowd he was trying to please. Young people you best stay with God's crowd....and be concerned more about their soul and where they are headed. What fellowship hath light with darkness?
III. Next Let's Look At The Difficulty Of Fretting, Paul had a thorn in the flesh..
1. 2 Cor 12:7-9, Three times he pleads with the Lord to take away this problem. And three times God says NO. THE PROBLEM STAYS. You Paul can serve me with that problem.
2. God says Paul I will give you more grace and others will know and see where you get it from, where you get your power from, from me...God will get the glory which is due to Him. ITS alright to honor one another and some even deserve double honor if it is due. Our Bible says some sow, some water..but God giveth the increase. W/O Him e can do nothing.
3. This passage teaches us that difficulties are not excuses God accepts. We can still serve Him even if the problem doesn't go away.
IV This May Not Apply To Many Of You But It May to Some and May also be in your future..HOW ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY OF LONLINESS
1. Rev 1: John COULD HAVE GIVEN IN TO DEPRESSION, SELF PITY..
2. But NOT THIS apostle..he is still walking with God. And still in the spirit on the Lord's Day..There is and always has been something special about the Lord's Day and I feel sorry for professing Christians that have been blinded by Satan about it. ...........they tune in their tv pastor.
3. If you don't regard His day why should He regard your day. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is..but exhorting one another and so much more as ye see that day approaching..I didn't write it. Get mad at the author. Its futile thou.....
4. John is given a great revelation, a great experience because he walked with God when no one could see him, alone. What we are when we are alone is what we are....If you are an out and out Christian you have two great blessings following you every day..Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..If you are a born again Christian you are never alone. The H. S may have turned his face from you but you can ask Him to forgive you, He is still there and always will be.
5. Satan threw John here a lemon, vanquished to a lonely island. John took that lemon and made lemonade. Did you ever hear the hymn "Brighten the Corner?" A young lady wanted to be a missionary but felt she had to take care of a bed ridden relative and she did for years. As she prayed the Lord impressed upon her to brighten the corner were she was. The song came to her and she penned it down. That little hymn has blest millions because she did not give in to circumstances and still ministeres to many that she would never meet on earth.
6. Finding yourself alone can be a blessing in disguise. Some young people think they need to be married by a certain age. Better enjoy being alone till God's time. It's better to be single and wish you were married than married and wish you were single. Marriage is honorable, it is not for the weak and is not for everyone.
7. The Bible does say if you cannot control your impulses then its better to marry than to burn. Adultery is never an option for a Christian. Marriage is.
8. Do what's right , obey God's word.
V. THE DIFFICULTY OF BEING HATED
1. It was Herod's hatred that caused James to die and be executed. It also put Peter in prison to await the same fate.
2. It was there in prison where Peter had an unusual experience. An angel let him out. ACTS CH 12.1-
3. Peter got special treatment from the Lord because of his trouble. God does not desert his own. If you are hated for being a Christian LOOK UP.
4. Sometimes looking back we see that the trouble was not to be compared with the blessings that followed. Every mother knows that. 9 months of difficulty............then a baby...that brings joy to everyone.
VI ...LASTLY WE HAVE THE TEMPTATIONS OF SATAN....
1. Men can have some terrifically terrible temptations.but always remember temptation is not a sin and temptations can be thots that are not our own to begin with but planted there by the enemy.
2. Yet they can come from different areas, the world, flesh and Satan.
3. The flesh is our biggest enemy and we don't realize it. I'm too tired to go to church, no your not. I just can't seem to find time to read my Bible, yes you can. That old nature is just as evil as the day it was born and it will never encourage you to serve God. IT iS TO BE ignored!!!!
4. You are suppose to tell your flesh what to do and not the other way around.
5. I like Br so and so he has so much energy, no he doesn't. He tells his body what to do. That's the only difference. A lot of Christians will be on;y watching when the crowns are given out because they listened to their flesh. There I said and you can hate me..I still love you.
6. A Bible college student had to write a term paper, 30 mins on the HS and 30 mins on the Devil. He wrote for an hour and turned in his paper. On the bottom he wrote I wrote one hour on the hs. I have no time for the Devil. Stay busy for Jesus dads.
7. Don't forget Eve got in trouble by spending time listening to him. We should give him no time to be caught off guard by his tricks, and devices. Give him no time off the path to be trapped in his snares.
8. Men he can rob you of power to live godly as he did Sampson, and leave you too grinding in failure and cause you to be asleep spiritually.
9. Wake up men! Wake up dads. The battle is not over yet. People are counting on you!!
Epes 6:10-18
LETS PRAY