June 1999 Sermons
Dr. Henry E. Roberts

Jesus is Back!
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dads

Jesus is Back!
Matthew 9:35-10:8

   In the ongoing year long restoration project of the l908 stained glass in our sanctuary, the massive window which graces and overlooks the entrance way is a depiction of Jesus and the children. In the past two weeks the window has gradually come together as the glass has resembled the panels one by one. But when we last gathered the center panel where Jesus was located was not finished, so you had this wonderful emerging scene, but  without Jesus. Well, this week Jesus returned!

   You must understand however that as a believing people, unlike some other believers, not all, but some who sing about and long for, and pray for, and live solely for Jesus' return, we believe that Jesus is never not here. (Is that a double negative?) Yes? Then it is neither theologically correct nor is the language correct to say that Jesus is never not here. For he is here, has been, is and will be.

   There is a sense in which we believe that there will come a time, when the Kingdom will be fully realized and the Kingdom of the Earth will become the Kingdom of Heaven. This is characterized by our belief in the so called "Second  or Final Coming." When this will occur is not for us to know, we are told by Jesus in the Bible.  Our task is to be faithful today to our calling as disciples of Jesus. Knowing full well that one day God will fulfill the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Kingdom Come on Earth as it is in Heaven."

   As a matter of fact, when we are in Christ and when we live according to His rules. are spiritually disciplined, and we live no longer to ourselves but unto him alone, we become spiritually the presence of Christ in the world. It is a mystery, a marvelous mystery, that wherever we are, Christ is!

   Of all the promises of Jesus, the three which come to me time and time again to bless and reassure me are these, for they affirm the presence of Christ with us now and in the next life.

•  "I will be with you."
• "When you gather together in my name, I will be there."
• "I go to prepare a place for you, so that where I am there you may be also."

   In the scripture reading today in Matthew 9:35, Jesus sets forth his mission which is threefold: to proclaim the love of God, to teach the ways of God, and to heal the sick-to preach, to teach, to heal.

   The Mission of the Church and church people is to be Jesus in the world of our day. Therefore, his mission is our mission. Sharing the good news, teaching the ways of God and healing the sick becomes our mission.

   Some 30 years ago, Dr. Fred Whiddon, President of the University of  South Alabama, a member of our Dauphin Way Church in Mobile, said to me that he believed that establishing a Medical School at the University Of South Alabama would in some way fulfill his calling as the President of that young institution. Each person's calling is shaped by the mission of Jesus to proclaim, to teach, to heal. 

• When we get caught up in Christ's mission, Jesus is there. So Wherever You Are In Mission - Jesus is There!   In You, In Your Actions, In Your Words, In Your Attitude!   When You Live in Jesus, You Are More Than You Have Ever Imagined.

   Maybe it is an aging thing but I have been revisiting the question of my Mission and asking myself "Why am I here on the earth at this time and in this place? In trying to find an answer to such searching's, I have to ask myself such questions as "What am I  passionate about?" What am I upset about? What challenges me? What am I not doing that I want to do?" What about you? What really turns you on? What are you passionate about? What gets you up early and what gets your attention? What are you upset about? Our complaints may be the dark side of our passions.

   I believe that God gives us longings so that we can discover his purpose for our life which may very well change at different stages. Longings, desires, hopes, dreams, passions, these inner desires will shape our lives and only when we discover and focus and experience the fulfillment of these longings will we be healthy and happy and prosperous persons. We will be at peace when Our Mission Lives Out Our Longings And When Our Mission Matches Our Competencies. When Our Mission Matches The Mission Of The Lord Of The Church.

   Life at its best is mission and our mission is our life.  I have given my life to service in the church while others have given their lives as service in the schools, the hospitals, the offices. No matter where or how we discover and fulfill our mission, I am convinced that God has built into the framework of our lives, that fulfillment will only be experienced when we live a life of serving--No Matter Our Age Or Our Status. We will never discover peace nor completeness by merely surviving or accumulating things, as satisfying as these life tasks are. t is only when we give ourselves in service that we enter into the mystery of our creation.

   We are drawn to serving as plants are drawn to the sun, as roots to water, as eagles to the sky, as runners to the race. We are put on this earth to help one another.  We find life in our serving. When we are serving others, we are participating in the mission of God.

   In the Matthew scripture, Jesus carefully delineates his mission and then hands it over to the church as its decisive mission-to preach the good news of the Creator's love, to teach the faith, and to heal the sick.

   In Andrew Lloyd Webber's new play Whistle Down the Wind, there are these children  in Southern Louisiana whose mother has died and they live on a farm and have such an imagination. A group of traveling "snake handling" evangelists preach to them about the coming of Jesus. About this same time, a prisoner escapes from a local prison and hides out in their barn. The children see him with his long hair and the barbed wire has cut his hands and feet, and they see the blood and they believe that it is Jesus. The play is spent protecting "Jesus" and trying convince this "nobody" that he is "somebody," that this murderer is in fact Jesus. This poor fellow begins to  believe in himself and he begins to change. What do I have to do to convince you that you are somebody and that Jesus desires to live in you?

   When we get caught up in this longing, this passion to serve, we will begin to see the futility of accumulating and we will worry less for our survival and be less preoccupied with success and then will our lives become significant.

   When this happens, Jesus will be back! He's not coming, He is here. With you and in you accomplishing His will in the world.

Hallelujah, Jesus is alive and well.

1. The New Testament story illustrates the forgiving love of a father and one son who is referred to as the prodigal. He was impatient and impulsive and demanded his inheritance and foolishly misused it until it was gone and he was penniless and on the street. Poor and needy he returned home to ask forgiveness of his father who was more than willing to give it - "My son who was lost is now found!." Jesus used this parable to illustrate God's forgiving love and lifted this character trait of forgiveness as one to be desired for those who would grow into God's likeness. How often should I forgive someone who wrongs me, the disciples would ask, and Jesus responded, "As many times as they ask to be forgiven."

2. Now the OT story illustrates that God will watch over all of our children, in spite of our worrying about them. In this story, which is historical, there is father Abraham who learned a wonderful lesson about TRUSTING IN GOD which will inform us today of another habit for highly effective Dads. In this story it is not the sons who's driving the father crazy, but it is his wife, the first wife, the number one wife. In defense of manhood, it is sometimes tough to be a man and even more challenging to be a father.

   Well, the story went like this: When it began to look like Sarah would not have a child, she suggested that Abraham have a child with one of the servant girls who worked in their home. And he did, and Ishmael was born to Hagar. But then, surprise, surprise, Sarah did have a child who was named Isaac. She became jealous of the other son and demanded that Abraham send he and his mother away and disown him. So here Abraham is, dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn't. How do you disown a child? How do you turn your back on your own flesh and blood? How do you ignore one who is flesh of your flesh?

   God said to Abraham: "Trust me, I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also." From Isaac, Jacob was born and the Jewish people were to follow. From the other son, named Ishmael, the Arab people in general and the Islamic people in particular would come. The Islamic people in their Holy Book will look back on Ishmael's rejection as the beginning of their people. Isn't that wonderful? Out of rejection, God's blessings are received.

   Abraham was slow in learning to trust God, but in time he learned this lesson. Remember that Abraham was an old man when Isaac was born. When Isaac was a small child Abraham was commanded that the boy be placed on the altar at Mt. Moraiah and at the last moment God provided a lamb for the sacrifice. "Trust in God and he will deliver you." It would be a message which God would give to Abraham and the children of Abraham over the years.

   The wise saying of Proverbs 3:3 teaches: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."

   And among Jesus' teaching is "Trust in the Lord, and remember as His eye is own the sparrow, know that he watches over you."

   These wonderful stories tell us that good fathers are forgiving and that they trust in the Lord. These are character traits of the best of who we are as a people and on this father's day I want to add some more to these traits of what I have called Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dads.

3. Highly effective Dads are Generous: "Freely you have received, now freely give."

4. And Honesty is another character trait, which you find consistently among highly effective Dads.

   My father would often say to me: A man is only as good as his word. Jesus said correctly to the disciples: "Nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known."

   We have now discovered the things Hitler in the name of ethnic cleansing did that once were hidden. Every day we discover the things Slobodan Milosevic ordered to be done in the name of ethnic Albanian cleansing. One mass grave after another is being discovered of citizens of Yugoslavia whose only fault was that they had different blood in their veins than did the ruling powers

   Richard Nixon used street language in the White House and it is now public knowledge and Bill Clinton will complete his Presidency under the cloud of dishonesty and immorality. Will we never learn?. What is hidden will be known. Unless we don't want it in the morning paper we should monitor our actions and control our actions, for in time "that which is hidden will be known." In Bob Woodwards's new book, SHADOW, the Washington reporter documents the painful legacy of Watergate and the challenge to be honest for America's past five Presidents.

   Honesty is a desired trait, of highly effective Dads and it is a smart political policy.

5. Highly Effective Dads have a servant attitude.

   Philippians 2: "Have this mind in you that was in Christ, who was equal with God but did not count equality a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself and became a servant".

   In Richard Carlson's little book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and it's all small stuff", the author makes this suggestion: "When in doubt about whose turn it is to take out the trash, go ahead and take it out."

   If we are not careful, it is easy to become resentful about all the responsibilities of daily living. I doubt that you can ever be content or at peace if you keep score of all that you do. Keeping score of who's doing what and who's doing more only clutters your mind. And if you want to know the truth, this is the epitome of "small stuff". Forget it and if you have done a little more than your share, then you have freed another person in your family or your office to do something that they feel is very important.

   Besides what goes around comes around and if you do more then is expected, you will in time receive more than the one who does less.

   Servants work hard and it is not easy. It is hard, sweaty, and the pay is low. But there is glory here, with a servant mentality, you are like the Son of God.

6. Sixth, Highly Effective Dads are ever present in the here and now.

   Many individuals live either in response to what happened yesterday or worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow. But all we really have is this very moment. If we allow past problems or future concerns to dominate our present moments, we will end up anxious, depressed frustrated.

   John Lennon once said: "Life is what's happening while we're busy making other plans." When we are busy making other plans, our children are busy growing up, our friends are busy moving on and our parents are busy dying.

   I have a button someone gave me sometime ago in my office, which reads "Life is not a dress rehearsal." So, let us resolve to be present for our children and for ourselves in this present moment.

7. Seventh, Highly Effective Dads are spiritually disciplined-they pray, they worship, they read the Bible, they go to work every day, they give their money and themselves to others.

Summary: These are but passing thoughts as I reflect on this Father's Day of the nature of the Heavenly Father and the nature of my Father who is in Heaven.

• There are Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dads: Spiritually Disciplined, Forgiving, Generous, Trusting in the Lord, Servant like, Honest, Ever present.

   I read the other day a list of the Top Ten things You'll Probably Never Hear a Dad Say:

#10 Well, how ';bout that?....I'm lost! Looks like we have to stop and ask for directions.

#9 You know, now that you are 13, you'll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won't that be fun?

#8 I noticed that all your friends have a certain "in your face" attitude, I like that.

#7 Here's a credit card and the keys to my new car, have fun.

#6 What do you mean you want play football? Figure skating not good enough for you, son?

#5Your mother and I are going away for the weekend, you might want to consider throwing a party.

#4 Well, I don't know what's wrong with your car. Just have it towed in to a mechanic and pay what ever he asks.

#3 No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now quit your belly aching, and let's go to the mall.

#2 Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.

#1. And the Number one thing you will probably not hear a Dad say: "Father's Day."