June 21, 2015
Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church
Father’s
Day
Baptism
of Nolan Howes
Matthew 6:9-13King James Version (KJV)
Father Knows Best…
Prayer for God’s word
to be heard through me or in spite of me…
Good morning and happy
Fathers Day. Today is a day that we honor fathers and those who are like
fathers to us. It is a day of celebration for all that they have done and are
in our lives. I would like all the fathers out there to stand…all of those who
are like fathers…all of you men who are mentors or share your wisdom with the
younger generation. Today we thank you for all that you are. You help the next
generation find their way. You instill values and virtue in the young men, who will at some point would date our
daughters, know right from wrong. Thank you, thank you for your love and
hope.
Last week, I talked about “Fearless” and posed the question, “what would you do if you were not afraid?”
and we decided that we didn’t need to be afraid because God was with us always…guiding
us and providing for us as we go out in the world in His name…kind of like…OK
exactly like…the fathers we honor today…our earthly fathers. How awesome is it
that we have a heavenly Father to watch over us as well. As a matter of fact, He
will never leave us. We may lose our earthly father for whatever the reason may
be…we may have fathers that have not been there for us…we may have fathers that
aren’t very helpful as we try to learn our way in this world but…but…you can rest assured that our
Heavenly Father is always there… Our Father in heaven knows best…
You may be saying to
yourself…How do I know that my Father in
heaven knows best? I think we find our answer to that question is in the
prayer we pray every Sunday after we raise up our concerns and celebrations…the
one that Jesus taught His first disciples…”The Lord’s Prayer”. Let’s look at
that prayer…stanza by stanza…it is found in Matthew 6 verses 9-13…I am reading the scripture from the King
James Bible this morning…I love the poetry in the words…
1.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which
art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
As we begin this prayer we begin by praising Him for who He is. Now the word “Hallowed”
means holy and revered, consecrated and sacred. It is and adjective saying how
highly respected He is…sort of like the fathers we honor today but at a whole different level.
2.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is
in heaven. As we pray this part of the
prayer, we are praying His kingdom come here on earth…that He will reign over
all the earth…that it is His will…not humanities will…be done. That we will all
be in agreement with Him as to who and what we were created to be…His beloved
and cherished children wanting to do nothing but what He would have us do…He
knows that what is best for us is to be with him…not wandering in the wasteland
of humanity…
3.
11 Give us this day our daily bread. We are asking and knowing He will provide for us…not
just as our earthly fathers…not just bread for food to eat. He provides bread
for our souls, He provides light for our way, He provides strength for those
times we are weak, He provides…fill in
the blank… He knows what we need at any given time. He knows what is best
for us.
4. 12 And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors. Our
earthly fathers forgive us when we have done something wrong but it maybe be
hard…if not impossible…for them to forget. When our heavenly Father forgives us
it is blotted out…the slate is whipped clean and never thought of again. He
knows that we need forgiveness and “forgetness”
in our lives. Oh by the way…He also
provided a way for our sins to be forgiven and to have a personal relationship
with Him. This Father…our heavenly Father…loved His creation of humanity so
much that He sent his own Son, Jesus, to die for us so that we could have that
type of relationship with Him.
5. 13 And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil: Now…our
Father in heaven knows what is best for us…He is the Author that is writing the
poetry of our lives… He will never lead us into bad situation…but when we “lead
ourselves” into such situations He will lead us out. He knows the best path for
our lives and wants us to have the best life we can on this side of heaven.
6.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever. Amen. How can we not sing
Alleluia and give Him the glory for all that He has done…is doing…or will ever
do…in our lives.
Today is father’s day when we honor our father’s of this
earth. It is a day that we honor our Father in heaven who is the Father of all
fathers. What a more perfect day to have a baptism as we dedicate a new life…a
day that we put another life into His loving and tender Fatherly hands, know
that He knows best.
I would ask that Jessica, Kenyon and Nolan
to come forward as we place another life into the loving hands of God our
Father…
(Baptism of Nolan)
Our heavenly Father really does know best. All praise and
glory to the Father of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ…
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