Father s Day Hebrews 12:1-3 Fatherhood is a solemn trust.

The fact that every father naturally feels an incredible joy and responsibility when they first meet their child tells us that the role of the father is from God. God intends fathers to provide for and to protect their children, but there is much more to being a father. We are to train and instruct their children in the way of the Lord. We are to set them on the right path and lead them until it is time for them to make their own decisions. Fathers: More than any physical provision, protection, or opportunities, the most important thing you can do for your children is to teach and model godliness. Your children need to see you choose to obey God in good times and bad times. They need to see what it means to be a disciple of Christ. There is a saying: To the world, you may be nobody; but to somebody, you are the world. My message today is not about how important the role of a father is, but rather some biblical encouragement and advice on how we can pass on a good example of discipleship to our children. Remember, this is the most important thing you can do for your children. Let s read Hebrews 12:1-3: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. There are times when I feel that I cannot do everything God has called me to do. That s why we need God s word to hang on to. These verses tell me: 1. I am not alone. Many people have accomplished incredible things by cooperating with what God was doing in their lives. 2. I have a game plan for getting on track with God. 3. I have a model to follow in Jesus. 4. I have God with me, helping me at every point to do what He has called me to do. Brothers, we all need to remember and treasure verses such as these because our faith rests on them. Often we are buffeted by our emotions we feel that we cannot be a good father or do what God has called us to. However, that is just our feelings.

We do not walk by our feelings, but by faith in what God has done and promised. And, how do we know those things? Because He has revealed them to us in His word! Let s take a close look at what God promises here We have those who have gone before v. 1a Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses Hebrews 11 is called The Hall of Faith because it reminds us of all the heroes of the faith from the Old Testament who accomplished incredible things by cooperating with what God was doing in their lives. It is good for us to study the example of those who have gone before us and set a good example. They are like our supporters, cheering us on as we run the race. Fathers, I encourage you to read the memoirs of George Mueller. This will give you greater faith that God will provide for every need. There are many other wonderful examples of Christians that we can learn from. Another that I love deeply is Corrie Ten Boom. Or John Sung, Eric Liddell, Hudson Taylor that is just the beginning! These people were not superheroes. They were normal human beings like you and me. Teach your children about the men and women who have set an example for us. Give them a different type of role model and celebrity to admire! We have a game plan v. 1b let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. The second thing this verse tells me is that I have concrete steps to take as a disciple of Christ. First, I need to throw off things that hinder. These are not bad things, but simply things that keep me from running well. Remember Jesus parable of the four types of soil? The seed that fell on thorny ground was eventually choked out because of the cares and worries of this life. We need to be wise and listen to the Holy Spirit about what is permissible and what is beneficial. Paul said everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. The second step I need to take is to throw off sin. Sin is deceptive. It tells you that you can get in and out with no consequences. That is a lie! You need to viciously uproot sin in your life. Don t just trim it back. Yes, it feels impossible, and it is with you alone but with God, all things are possible! Finally, we need to run the race with perseverance. One thing that I learned from my father is an example of perseverance. He is a faithful man. He is faithful to his family and his church, and no matter the difficulties, we were always at church on Sunday

morning. Persevere in being a disciple for your sake and for the sake of your children. We have a model in Jesus v. 1-3 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. The third treasure that I take from these verses is that Jesus is my model. When I feel tired and discouraged, I can remember what Jesus endured for my sake and the glory that He received as a result. He is my model. We need to model Jesus for our children so that they will learn to follow the model of Jesus. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. Jesus suffered just as we do. He felt tired and pressed. He was hungry and weak at times. He was betrayed and abandoned by his friends. He was not immune to temptation, but was tempted in every way but He rejected sin and decided instead to obey God. Hebrews 4:15-16 says, For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. We have God to help us v. 2a Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith Finally, we see that Jesus is the one who gave birth to our faith. He called us to follow Him and put us on the path of discipleship. All along, it was Him who has helped us through every trial and difficulty. He helps us when we fall and strengthens us when we are weak. He is the perfecter of our faith and will never abandon or forsake us. He is going to be with us always as we run the race.