Sermon notes for Father's Day, June 16, 2019
Path to Christian Fatherhood
1 John 2:12-14
Father of a different sort
Path to Christian Fatherhood
1 John 2:12-14
Father of a different sort
Being a Christian father is not so much about raising children in your household
Being a Christian father is about training the children in Christ to mature
That includes our household children, but also the members of the body of Christ who come into the faith
The writer of 1 John addresses three age groups: children, young men, and fathers
There are two words for children that both imply immature people
The word for young men is pointing to people in the prime of their lives
Being a Christian father is about training the children in Christ to mature
That includes our household children, but also the members of the body of Christ who come into the faith
The writer of 1 John addresses three age groups: children, young men, and fathers
There are two words for children that both imply immature people
The word for young men is pointing to people in the prime of their lives
The word for fathers addresses those who have matured
Since there can be inferred that there were women involved in this community of faith, we can deduce that children, prime of lifers, and fathers addresses males and females
But it doesn’t address these groups in terms of age - it is faith development
For the community that the writer is addressing, the body of believers is broken into 3 (or 4) phases of faith development
Children represent those who are immature in the faith, who haven’t developed the necessary skills to confront the world on their own, and they only know the basics
The prime of lifers are individuals who have studied and proven the faith, they are equipped to face difficulties and conflicts they encounter, and they are strong enough to overcome
The fathers have a faith that has come into assurance, they have a deeper understanding of truth, and they have proven themselves in their witness so they are able to teach the children and guide the prime of lifers
The family of Christ
The church still can be broken into these three phases of development
There are still children among us
Not those of childhood age but those of childhood faith
They need to thrive spiritually
They need to develop in Christ
They need to know the basics of the faith (Heb 6:1-2; 1 John 3; Rom 12:9-21; 1 Pt 3:15-16)
There are still prime of lifers
There is no young adult or middle age in this category
These are individuals who study the Word of God hard
They welcome tests of faith to grow mighty
They know how to deal with conflicts that arise in faith and community and they deal with them (Rom 13-15; Gal 5:13-6:10; James; 1 John 4-5)
Then there are the fathers who exist in the church
We don’t look to age to determine who a father of faith is in a church
Fathers have experienced and lived in the assurance of the faith - they know God personally
Fathers seek a deeper understanding of God through Christ and attend to developing their relationship daily
Fathers use their experience, assurance, understanding, and relationship to serve others in the church
They teach the children what they need to thrive and develop, providing the basics of the faith
They guide those in the prime of their life as examples of what can be accomplished when you study the Word, accept tests of faith, walk mighty in the Lord through conflicts that arise
Eph 4; Timothy and Titus; 1 Peter 5; 1 John 1-2
A church needs to be able to identify those who are children, prime of lifers, and fathers or mothers in the faith
The phases of development still exist, but we don’t consciously address the divisions
In order to be a healthy, mighty, and faith assured church, we need to know who fills these roles, equip them for their separate levels appropriately, and prepare them to develop to the next level in the right time
Children - you have heard the basics, now continue to thrive and develop in Christ
Prime of lifers - you are the driving force of the kingdom of God, study its mission and gifts and go out to build God’s kingdom here in this church and in the world
Fathers and mothers - we need you to be our teachers and guides for the younger in faith; they need to hear of your struggles and tests, how you overcame the conflicts of doubt or in relationships with others; they need to see your assurance of faith intimately so they can know a deep and abiding relationship with God through Christ is real
May all of us not be afraid of where we are in the development of our faith and of growing to the next level as this is the will of our heavenly father for our lives in him
Since there can be inferred that there were women involved in this community of faith, we can deduce that children, prime of lifers, and fathers addresses males and females
But it doesn’t address these groups in terms of age - it is faith development
For the community that the writer is addressing, the body of believers is broken into 3 (or 4) phases of faith development
Children represent those who are immature in the faith, who haven’t developed the necessary skills to confront the world on their own, and they only know the basics
The prime of lifers are individuals who have studied and proven the faith, they are equipped to face difficulties and conflicts they encounter, and they are strong enough to overcome
The fathers have a faith that has come into assurance, they have a deeper understanding of truth, and they have proven themselves in their witness so they are able to teach the children and guide the prime of lifers
The family of Christ
The church still can be broken into these three phases of development
There are still children among us
Not those of childhood age but those of childhood faith
They need to thrive spiritually
They need to develop in Christ
They need to know the basics of the faith (Heb 6:1-2; 1 John 3; Rom 12:9-21; 1 Pt 3:15-16)
There are still prime of lifers
There is no young adult or middle age in this category
These are individuals who study the Word of God hard
They welcome tests of faith to grow mighty
They know how to deal with conflicts that arise in faith and community and they deal with them (Rom 13-15; Gal 5:13-6:10; James; 1 John 4-5)
Then there are the fathers who exist in the church
We don’t look to age to determine who a father of faith is in a church
Fathers have experienced and lived in the assurance of the faith - they know God personally
Fathers seek a deeper understanding of God through Christ and attend to developing their relationship daily
Fathers use their experience, assurance, understanding, and relationship to serve others in the church
They teach the children what they need to thrive and develop, providing the basics of the faith
They guide those in the prime of their life as examples of what can be accomplished when you study the Word, accept tests of faith, walk mighty in the Lord through conflicts that arise
Eph 4; Timothy and Titus; 1 Peter 5; 1 John 1-2
A church needs to be able to identify those who are children, prime of lifers, and fathers or mothers in the faith
The phases of development still exist, but we don’t consciously address the divisions
In order to be a healthy, mighty, and faith assured church, we need to know who fills these roles, equip them for their separate levels appropriately, and prepare them to develop to the next level in the right time
Children - you have heard the basics, now continue to thrive and develop in Christ
Prime of lifers - you are the driving force of the kingdom of God, study its mission and gifts and go out to build God’s kingdom here in this church and in the world
Fathers and mothers - we need you to be our teachers and guides for the younger in faith; they need to hear of your struggles and tests, how you overcame the conflicts of doubt or in relationships with others; they need to see your assurance of faith intimately so they can know a deep and abiding relationship with God through Christ is real
May all of us not be afraid of where we are in the development of our faith and of growing to the next level as this is the will of our heavenly father for our lives in him
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