The Portrait of a Good Father, Part 2

Sermon Notes

        Father’s Day

       June 19, 2010 & June 20, 2010

       Rev. Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church, 9248 E. Riggs Road, Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248 - (480) 895-8766

Matthew 8:5-13 NIV

5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.  6“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”  7Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”  8The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes.  I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.   11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go!  It will be done just as you believed it would.”  And his servant was healed at that very hour.

A.  Introduction

             1.  No Kids Around Milwaukee

                                    a.  Some years back a newspaper in Milwaukee ran a contest for children just before Father’s Day on the subject:  MY POPS IS TOPS!  One child wrote:  “Every child should love their father because if it was not for their father where would they be?  Nowhere, that’s where they’d be.  If it wasn’t for fathers you wouldn’t see hardly no children around Milwaukee.”

                                    b.  Fathers are by God’s design an important part of the parenting equation.  Not only are dads a part of the Almighty’s plan for human procreation, men are an important element when it comes to the emotional and spiritual growth of a child.  Children need good male role models.  Indeed we all do, because a good man reflects some important aspects of the image of our Father in Heaven.  These worthy role models help us to be more like God. 

             2.  Today’s Scripture:  Matthew 8:5-13

                                    a.  In today’s Scripture lesson we meet a man who is a good role model.  Last week we looked at Luke’s account of this event.  Today we hear the story from Matthew, who also tells us about this Roman Centurion.  Once again, I remind us that we don’t know the man’s name.  We don’t know for sure if he was a father.

                                    b.  However, we do know this:  He was a man of compassion, a man who respected others, a humble person, and a man of faith.  He gives to us a wonderful portrait of what a good father is like.  Last Sunday we talked about compassion and respect.  Today we lift up humility and faith.

B. Humility

             1.  Today’s Scripture:  Matthew 8:8-9 & Luke 7:6-8

                                    a.  The third quality of the Roman Centurion is that he was a man of genuine humility.  Those who told the story to Luke did not remember the Centurion coming out to speak with Jesus.  Disciple and Gospel writer Matthew recalled that the Centurion did eventually come out and speak to Jesus.  This happened probably because the Lord was impressed by the Centurion’s faith and asked to speak with him directly.  This is not a disagreement of the Scriptures, and the meaning is clearly the same.  First the Centurion sends out his friends to speak his words to Jesus, and then Jesus’ coaxes the man to come out and he restates what his friends shared:  “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes.  I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Luke 7:6-8 NIV)

                                    b.  Here was a man of genuine humility.  This was not fake humility or low self esteem.  This Roman soldier was certainly no doormat.  He was a man of respect as we said last week.  This Centurion knew Jewish customs and laws.  If Jesus came into his Gentile home, Jesus would have to go through all sorts of cleansing rituals.  The Centurion did not want to trouble Jesus with all of that.  He was, also, a man who had a humble spirit.  The Centurion recognized that Jesus was at the very least a prophet of God.  He knew that Jesus had spiritual power far greater than his own.  And this soldier was humble enough to ask for help from the Lord.

             2.  Doctor William Withering

                                    a.  Doctor William Withering was one of the best doctors in all of England during that long ago decade of the 1770’s.  Medicine was still quite crude back then, and many of the people still believed in all sorts of superstitious medical practices.  Midnight incantations and eye of newt were still favored by many of the people.  It was sometimes hard for doctors to convince people to follow sound medical advice that was backed up by scientific proof.  Because of that many doctors refused to even consider the use of traditional folk remedies.  And English folk healers who were often called “witches” were looked down upon.

                                    b.  However, Doctor Withering had a different spirit.  Some of his patients were very ill and had what they called back then, “dropsy.”  They had an accumulation of liquid around the heart.  This inevitably led to a heart attack and death.  The good doctor was sad.  He had no way to treat these people, and he was sure that within a few weeks they would all be dead.  Yet several months later as the doctor strolled through the village fair he saw three of his dropsy patients alive and seemingly doing better!  He stared at them as if they were “ghosts”, and then asked about how they got better.  They all told him about a kindly “witch”, who gave them a special brew, which they all insisted had cured them.  Rather than dismiss this as a bunch of superstition and coincidence, Doctor Withering paid a call on the folk healer.  Sure enough when he got to her cottage, she was busy making her dropsy remedy out of some twenty plants, roots, berries, and herbs.  Doctor Withering asked for samples of her plants to study, and after several tests, decided that the most powerful plant in her brew was the herb foxglove.  In time Doctor Withering was able to use his knowledge of botany to isolate the ingredient in the foxglove plant called digitalis, which is one of the most important natural products ever discovered for medicinal use.  Today, digitalis in different forms is still a lifesaver used by doctors all over the world to help people with heart problems. 

                                    c.  Doctor Withering was a humble man in the best sense of the word.  He had an open mind.  He was willing to accept help even from those less educated than him.  A good father, caring mother, and dedicated Christian is a person who is not haughty.

             3.  Cathy Comic Strip:  Dad spills milk

                                    a.  Cathy Guisewite the creator of the Cathy Comic Strip tells a story from her childhood.  Company had come for dinner and her mother was very anxious for everything to go well.  Things were awkward.  The guests seemed uncomfortable and were not very talkative.  Then Cathy in her nervousness accidentally overturned her glass of milk.  She was on the verge of tears when her father reached over, picked up the pitcher of milk, and poured it on the floor.  Family and guests alike with open mouths just stared.  Dad responded by shrugging his shoulders and saying, “Hey!  It looked like fun!”  Everyone laughed.  And as dad cleaned up his and Cathy’s mess the conversation began to just pour out.

                                    b.  Cathy learned from her dad not to take herself so seriously.  It takes a humble heart to have grace to others and yourself.  Genuine humility is an important Christian characteristic.

C.  Faith

             1.  Today’s Scripture:  Matthew 8:8-13 & Luke 7:7-10

                                    a.  The final thing that must be said of this Centurion is this:  He was a man of faith.  He says, “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” (Matthew 8:8 NIV)  Did you hear that?  “Lord… Just say the word, and my servant will be healed!” (Matthew 8:8 NIV)  When Jesus heard this he was amazed and astonished.  And Jesus says to the crowd:  “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” (Matthew 8:10 NIV)  “And his servant was healed at that very hour.” (Matthew 8:13 NIV) 

                                    b.  The Centurion was a man who believed that Jesus could do what he said he would do.  There are many of us who need that same faith.  The Centurion was a foreigner.  He probably did not have the privilege as a young man of reading from the Bible.  Yet he could see that there was something special about Jesus.  And while the Scripture does not state it directly, I believe he became a follower of Jesus.  The Centurion would be one of those Jesus spoke of when He said, “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 8:11 NIV) 

             2.  Why his son did not become a grocer!

                                    a.  A teenager named Jim got a job at a grocery store in Hamilton, Missouri.  He liked the business and decided that this line of work would become his career.  One night he came home and proudly told his family that his boss was clever as a fox.  The grocer had the practice of mixing low quality coffee with the expensive brand and thus increasing his profit.  Jim laughed as he told the story at the dinner table.  Jim’s father did not see anything funny about the practice.  He said, “Son, tell me if the grocer found someone palming off an inferior article on him for the price of the best, do you think he would think they were just being ‘foxy’ and laugh about it?”  Jim could see his father was disappointed in him, and replied, “I guess I just didn’t think about it that way.”  Jim’s father instructed him to go to the grocer the next day, collect whatever was owed him, and tell the grocer he wouldn’t be working for him any longer.  Jobs were not plentiful in Hamilton in the 1890’s, but Jim’s dad would rather his son be unemployed than be associated with a crooked businessman.

                                    b.  Jim would later get hired as a clerk in a general store.  He then had the opportunity to buy a store in Wyoming.  He changed the name to the “Golden Rule Store” and it did quite well.  Eventually he opened up department stores all across America.  When he retired in 1946 there were 1,612 of his stores across the land.  And you’ve probably shopped in one of his stores.  Today Jim’s business is known as the J. C. Penney Company!

                                    c.  Many people talk about faith.  Lots of people can even show the world a sort of piety of attitude.  Responsible adults like Jim Penney’s dad know that real men and women must do more than just talk about faith.  They must live it themselves.  They must teach it to their family, and call their family to live by moral standards that reflect their faith.

             3.  The Missionary’s Father

                                    a.  Many years ago John G. Paton became a much loved missionary to the New Hebrides Islands.  (Today these islands are known by their native name of Vanuatu.)  He often said that he owed his faith to his father.  Reverend Paton’s father was a farm laborer without formal training, but he knew the Bible and was a man of deep faith.  Every evening for sixty years this good father led his family in a time of prayer and devotions.  It did not matter if it was rain or shine, good times or bad times, slow days or busy days, friends came over or did not, or that there might be something fun to do, no day passed without family prayer time.  Until his death, this good father led his family in a time of prayer, Bible reading, and meditation.

                                    b.  The good father, the caring mother, and dedicated Christian take the time to teach their family faith.  They read Bible stories to their children and grand-children.  They teach the little ones to pray.  They find the courage to reach out to the un-churched in their family and invite them to know Jesus.  And realizing that we are all children of the Heavenly Father, they reach out to neighbors and their community to share the Good News of Jesus.

D.  Conclusion:  Recap…  Good fathers, caring mothers, and devoted Christians demonstrate these four characteristics for others:

             1.  Compassion 

             2.  Respect                                                              

             3.  Humility                                                                    

             4.  Faith

The Portrait of a Good Father

 Good fathers, caring mothers, and devoted Christians demonstrate these four characteristics for others: 

1.  Compassion

 

2.  Respect

 

3.  Humility

 

4.  Faith

 Matthew 8:5-13 NIV

5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.  6“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”  7Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”

8The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes.  I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.  11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.”  And his servant was healed at that very hour.