Sermon Tone Analysis

ATTN

One little boy defined Father’s Day like this: “Father’s Day is just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on a present.”

Come on, isn’t that true?

Father’s Day is kind of the “left-over” holiday.

It’s the one that we do just so the guys won’t feel bad.

In fact Garrison Keillor writes that fatherhood is a big misunderstanding

We were young swashbuckling guys riding around in cool cars on a hot summer night and we pulled into the A&W for a root beer and these girls walked over in their little white summer dresses and the next thing we knew we had a house and a lawn and a teenager glowering at us and muttering something about us not understanding him.

He thinks he's misunderstood -- hey, how about us?

Look at Father's Day.

All year long, we dads look forward to Our Day and think, "Well, maybe this year there will be a big parade.

A dads drill team, twirling rakes.

A float with the Boston Pops on it."

And then, nothing.

No fireworks, no music.

A few people murmur, "Happy Father's Day," and that's it.

It's about as festive as Arbor Day or National Pickle Week.

One Dad writes that, during his freshman year, his son Steve couldn’t get home for Christmas.

So Steve sent him a set of inexpensive cuff links and a note reading: “Dear Dad, This is not much, but it’s all you could afford.”

The Illinois Bell Telephone Co. reports that the volume of long distance calls made on Father’s Day is growing faster than the number on Mother’s Day.

Now, that might make you think that I’m wrong about this.

Maybe Father’s Day is just as important as Mother’s Day.

You might think that until you hear the rest of the story: They said that the volume of calls made on Father’s Day was growing faster than the volume made on Mother’s Day, but the company went on to apologize that they took so long in compiling the statistics because the extra billing of calls to fathers slowed things down.

Most of the calls were “collect.”

NEED

Now I know that those statistics may call you to a couple of different reactions: In the first place, you might think, “Well, that’s not true for our family.

We give our father a lot of honor and he rightfully deserves it.”

Others may say, “Well that is true of our family, but I have to tell you that my father doesn’t get honor because he doesn’t deserve honor.”

And, men, in some cases, they are right.

Often fathers remain totally disengaged from their children.

The selfishness of many men separates them from their kids through their own choice, and, quite frankly, they are hard to honor.

Many men have checked out of fatherhood whether they live at home or not.

Did you know that in 1997 (latest stats I found) children spent on 45 minutes per week engaged in any conversation with anyone in the family where conversation was the major activity.

The number of families having dinner together regularly dropped by 33% from 1987-1997.

Family vacations decreased by 28% as well.

I can only imagine what has happened in the last ten years with the explosion of technology and texting.

But understand that, while fathers have less and less involvement in the lives of their children, this apathy is not without consequences.

Sons with uninvolved fathers are 300%more likely to be incarcerated in state juvenile institutions.

Daughters with uninvolved fathers are 111%more likely to be teen parents Women with uninvolved fathers are 92% more likely to fail in their marriages.

Men with uninvolved fathers are 35% more likely to fail in their marriages.

Children from father-absent homes make up 63% of youth suicides.

Children who live without their fathers are 2-3 times more likely to be poor, use drugs, experience health, educational,

emotional and behavioral problems, to be victims of child abuse and to engage in

criminal behavior than those who live with their fathers.

Dad’s are important!

But there is one exception to this overall principle.

Research has found that there is one occasion when the presence of the father actually makes things worse, and not better.

When the father is antisocial or even abusive, the children in those families turn out worse.

Which just leads me to this, dads: Fathers, it is not enough to be HOME, we must also be HOLY.

In fact, we must be holy at home.

There must be a godliness that pervades our hearts.

If that is so, just what does a godly dad look like?

I want to answer that question today by drawing you a picture of a godly leader.

In a way, Moses’ position as the leader of the Jews mirrored that of a Father.

He had to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and they often acted like children.

How was he able to do it?

How did he influence them to follow him?

BACKGROUND

There is an interesting passage of Scripture over in Exodus chapter 34.

After Moses receives the ten commandments, he was treated to multiple audiences with God.

The Bible says, “29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.

30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them.

32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.

33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

34 But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded.

There was the unmistakable glow of holiness about him.

There was a power he didn’t control and which he couldn’t explain.

More than anything else, I believe it was this power with God and this god-likeness that made Moses effective as a leader, and I believe it is this power with God and this god-likeness that will make you an effective father.

The question becomes, “How?”

How can I become a godly father?

Well, four characteristic describe a godly father.

First:

DIV 1: GODLY FATHERS ACT

EXP

Now this holiness is more than a state of being, it is a state of action.

In fact, it is a state of their hearts that moves them to activity.

It begins with expectations.

Fathers expect holiness.

Everything we have said about Moses takes place in an interesting context.

It happens right after Moses goes up on Mt.

Sinai to receive the 10 commandments, written by the finger of God.

In the midst of his 40 day conversation with the Almighty, he is sent down the mountain by God because the people have begun to commit idolatry.

You see what happened over in Exodus 32:1

1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

Wow!

That was easy!

Aaron’s response when the people wanted to turn away from God and worship an idol was, “Hmm . . .

Ok! Bring me your class rings and your wedding bands and we’ll melt ‘em down!”

There was no passion for godliness here.

Holiness was not expected.

Aaron gave in.

That was not so with Moses.

Look how he reacts.

32:19 says:

19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing.

So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it.

21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

And he expected holiness so much that he did something about it.

Fathers take action: In v 25 it says: