A Faithful Father
SERMON STARTER
Father’s Day is the time when pastors crank out their best encouragement for the dads who attend his/her church. Nuclear family systems with dads who are present with their wives in raising their children are in short supply in our country. When I started preaching 31 years ago, the nuclear family was described as husband, wife and 2 kids with no divorce. Those family systems represented more than 40% of America’s families in 1976. Nuclear families are less than 20% today.
Fathers who join with their wives in raising their children physically and spiritually are refreshing and they are rare. This sermon was written and given to encourage fathers to spend time with t heir children and show they care about them. After all, how our kids see us dads is how they will view God. Don’t we call Him, “Our Heavenly Father?”
Sheepfold Ministries - Father's Day
June 17, 2007 - Rev. Phil Roland
A Faithful Father
1 Thess. 2:1-11
“Father’s Day is a great time to re-examine the gifts you are giving to your children. Will the bring blessing or cursing? Will they produce light or darkness?” Pastor Phil Roland
1 Thessalonians was Apostle Paul’s First Book of the New Testament
It was written approximately 50 AD.
Paul’s Second Missionary Journey with Silas, stopped six weeks at Thessalonica
FIVE THINGS PAUL DOES THAT PROFILES A Faithful Father:
I. PAUL DEMONSTRATES A FOND AFFECTION - V.8
A. A Love that Convinces
B. Prodigal’s Father kissed him over and over again - Luke 15:20
II. PAUL IS WILLING TO IMPART LIFE - V. 8b
A. Not just the Gospel, Paul shares his own life as well
B. Not just words, but the stuff of his life
III. PAUL IS AN EXAMPLE OF HARD WORK / UNSELFISHNESS -V9
A. Paul labored Night and Day
B. Attitude is Everything
IV. PAUL IS A SPIRITUAL LEADER IN THE HOME - V.9b
A. Who is the Spiritual Leader in your home?
B. Do your kids have trouble calling God, Heavenly Father?
1. House Policeman Father
2. Insecure Father
3. Hot Tempered Father
V. PAUL IS H O N E S T - V. 10
A. If you’re wrong, “ADMIT IT!”
B. Nine Words of Power -
“I’M SORRY. I WAS WRONG. WILL YOU FORGIVE ME?”
C. Verbal Affection: - V.11
1. Appreciation – “Hawthorne Effect”
a. Quality Time
b. Nurture – Acceptance and Love
2. Encouragement
3. Discipline
4. Listening Skills – You love by listening
A Faithful Father, TEXT:
1 Th 2:1 You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure.
1 Th 2:2 We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.
1 Th 2:3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.
1 Th 2:4 On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.
1 Th 2:5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is our witness.
1 Th 2:6 We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you,
1 Th 2:7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.
1 Th 2:8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
1 Th 2:9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
1 Th 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.
1 Th 2:11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,
THE HAWTHORNE EFFECT
Elton Mayo was looking for a positive correlation between improved worker hygiene and worker productivity. One of the experiments involved simply turning up the lights on the plant floor. Suddenly, worker productivity shot up. One of the researchers turned the lights back down. What happened to worker productivity? Worker productivity wasn’t related to the lights going up or down, but that someone was paying attention to them.
Individual behaviors may be altered because they know they are being studied was demonstrated in a research project (1927 - 1932) of the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Company in Cicero, Illinois. This series of research, first led by Harvard Business School professor Elton Mayo along with associates F.J. Roethlisberger and William J. Dickson started out by examining the physical and environmental influences of the workplace (e.g. brightness of lights, humidity) and later, moved into the psychological aspects (e.g. breaks, group pressure, working hours, managerial leadership). The ideas that this team developed about the social dynamics of groups in the work setting had lasting influence - the collection of data, labor-management relations, and informal interaction among factory employees.
The major finding of the study was that almost regardless of the experimental manipulation employed, the production of the workers seemed to improve. One reasonable conclusion is that the workers were pleased to receive attention from the researchers who expressed an interest in them. The study was only expected to last one year, but because the researchers were set back each time they tried to relate the manipulated physical conditions to the worker's efficiency, the project extended out to five years.
Four general conclusions were drawn from the Hawthorne studies:
- The aptitudes of individuals are imperfect predictors of job performance. Although they give some indication of the physical and mental potential of the individual, the amount produced is strongly influenced by social factors.
- Informal organization affects productivity. The Hawthorne researchers discovered a group life among the workers. The studies also showed that the relations that supervisors develop with workers tend to influence the manner in which the workers carry out directives.
- Work-group norms affect productivity. The Hawthorne researchers were not the first to recognize that work groups tend to arrive at norms of what is "a fair day's work," however, they provided the best systematic description and interpretation of this phenomenon.
- The workplace is a social system. The Hawthorne researchers came to view the workplace as a social system made up of interdependent parts.
How does this relate to Dad’s Day?
1) Spend quality time with your kids/dads. Time is the fleeting commodity that we all possess in a diminishing supply every day. . .Make the most of it!
2) Your kids will respond positively every time to any time you spend with them that involves unconditional acceptance and love.