Father's Day

Mark 5:21-24
21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.
 
Happy Father’s Day, Dads! This afternoon, let’s look at an inspirational dad from the Word of God. His name is Jairus. That means "enlightened by God," we can learn a lot from his life. Dad’s we thank God for you! And we thank you for all of the good you are doing in your family, our church and our community.
 
As a dad, what makes you think that we are worth following? As you all know, God has put fathers in a high position in the household.  God has commanded that we are to be the leaders of our household. Let us look into the life of this synagogue ruler named Jairus and see if there is something about his story worth following.
 
First thing that you would notice is that he sought the Lord. He must have heard about a man named Jesus that did miracles, healed the sick and so on. “Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”
 
Jairus was in a desperate situation in this story. His only daughter was near the point of death, and Jairus couldn’t make her well. Sometimes our loved ones will be hurting. And there will be nothing we can do to help them on our own. Any parent here can relate to this story, correct!
If our children are sick, we do our best to make them feel better, help them get well. Without a doubt, I am sure that Jairus has done everything he could for his daughter.
 
Jairus shows us exactly what to do in a situation like that. Seek the Lord! Take your troubles to Jesus! Go to Jesus humbly, boldly, passionately, and expectantly. GO TO JESUS!!! Seek the Lord for His help. Call on the Lord! Throw yourself at Jesus’ feet. Throw yourself on the compassionate mercy of God.
 
 
 
Psalm 145:17-18
The Lord is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
 
Then in 1 Chronicles 28:9, speaking as a father to a son, King David said…
 
1 Chronicles 28:9
9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
 
David told his son, "If you seek God, He will be found by you." We need to seek the Lord for His help. Also… we need to seek the Lord for worship. When Matthew told the story of Jairus it was said that “he worshipped the Lord”.
 
Matthew 9:18 – 23-25
18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.”
23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
 
Jairus sought the Lord. fell down at Jesus’ feet without reservation and worshipped Him. And notice that Jairus went himself. He did not send his wife. He didn’t send a servant. He went to Jesus himself.
 
Our society would be infinitely better off today if dads would seek Jesus without shame, if we all would be the spiritual leaders in our homes. Our nation is in a mess, partly because dads are out seeking something else on Sunday instead of seeking God. They send the wife and kids to church. So, the question remains, “why are we worth following?” Do we need to be in a desperate situation, before we come to seek the Lord and worship Him?
 
Dad’s, let your kids see YOU seeking the Lord in worship. Taking them to church, reading the Word of God, praying together, living for Jesus. Keep in mind if you have a son, he might follow you in his footsteps on how he should worship the Lord. He will also need to realize that one day, he will be a leader of his household. So, how will he lead.
 
 
 
If you have a daughter, what type of a husband will she look for? Will she look for a husband that will be a faithful leader to her? One who faithfully seeks and worship the Lord. May God help us all to be dads who will faithfully seek the Lord!
 
Jesus promises that if we seek, we will find. And we can be the father worth following if we will seek the Lord. And also stand-up for your children. Take a passionate stand for your children. There is no question that Jairus dearly loved his daughter. We see his love in the way he came to Jesus in vs. 22&23….
 
Mark 5:22-23
22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”
 
Jairus was passionate about his little girl’s well-being. And God wants us to care like that. This is crucial for our children. The liberal media will tell you that having a dad in the home doesn’t matter. Don’t you believe it! We need to realize the tremendous impact that dads have on children. Dads, our children need’s us desperately.
 
Here…listen to these statistics from I devotional that I read in regards to fatherless children:
 
Fatherless daughters are 111% more likely to have children as teenagers.
-Fatherless daughters are 164% more likely to have an out-of-wedlock birth.
-Fatherless daughters have a 92% higher divorce rate than girls raised with Dad at home.
-Fatherless sons are 35% more likely to experience failure in their own marriages.
-Fatherless sons are 300% more likely to wind up in state juvenile institutions.
-And fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of high school.
 
These are terrible statistics. And the numbers are also bad for dads who are there in body, but not in heart and mind. That’s why God wants us to be passionate about the well being of our children. You matter, Dads!
 
Here’s another one, from the same devotional….
 
The National Center for Fathering conducts “Father of the Year” Essay Contests. In 2005, over 100,000 school children submitted short essays on the topic, "What my Father Means to Me." Some of these are funny, and some have a note of sadness, but all of these shows how important you are, Dads.
 
-A first grader wrote, "My dad is the best dad ever. I would kiss a pig for him."
 
-A third grader wrote, "The dad in my life isn’t really my dad. He’s my Grandpa. But he’s been like a dad to me since before I was born. I hope that as I get older, Grandpa will teach me all the stuff he knows about wood, and first-aid, and everything else he knows about. My Grandpa isn’t my father, but I wouldn’t trade him for all the dads in the world."
 
-A fourth grader wrote, "Sometimes as a joke I’ll put my stinky socks in his briefcase, so at work the next day he will think of me! He’s always at the concerts and plays that I’m in, even though he lives about an hour away."
 
-A fifth grade girl wrote, "You know what else my dad does? He braids my hair. I’m the only girl I know whose dad braids her hair. I think that’s a perfect dad. He already is the world’s greatest dad to me. I just wanted everyone to know that."
 
You matter, Dads. In all kinds of way’s we are vitally important to our children, so be passionate about your children’s well being, ESPECIALLY- ESPECIALLY… their spiritual well being!
 
Jairus obviously cared, and one of the best ways he showed it was by inviting Jesus to his home. In vs. 23 Jairus said… “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”
 
Jairus invited Jesus to his home. There is nothing better you can do for your children than to bring Jesus into your home. Men who would stand with Joshua and declare to the world…
 
Joshua 24:15
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of [a]the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
 
Men who would lead their families in prayer at the table,  Dad’s who would invite Jesus into the home by reading His Word. We must have Jesus into our homes. Nothing is more important for our children. Children need to be connected with Jesus! In this case it was for a miraculous physical healing. But in our case, it’s for something infinitely more important, spiritual healing. We don’t just want our children to live. We want them to live forever!
 
We want our children to have everlasting life, and they can only get that from Jesus. On this Father’s Day let’s remember that the Heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus into the world to take the punishment for our sins. Jesus died on the cross for us and rose again, so that we might be forgiven and live with Him forever. So, the most important thing we can do for our children is help them know Jesus Christ in a personal, saving way!!!
 
But Dad’s, how can you do that if you don’t know the Lord yourself?  Jairus had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It was a new relationship where he had personally met the Lord. And in this relationship Jairus talked with the Lord, trusted the Lord, and worshipped the Lord.
 
This is the kind of relationship God wants to have with all of us. A relationship that saves our soul and changes our life. Christian author, pastor and former atheist Lee Strobel gave this great testimony…
 
How can I tell you the difference God has made in my life? My daughter Allison was 5 years old when I became a follower of Jesus. All she had known in those five years was a dad who was profane and angry. I remember I came home one night and kicked a hole in the living room wall just out of anger with life. I am ashamed to think of the times Allison hid in her room to get away from me. But five months after I gave my life to Jesus Christ. That little girl went to my wife and said, ’Mommy, I want God to do for me what he’s done for Daddy.’ -- At age five!
 
What was she saying? She’d never studied the archeological evidence (on the truth of the Bible). All she knew was her dad used to be this way, Hard to live with. But more and more her dad is becoming this way. And if that is what God does to fathers, then sign her up. At age five she gave her life to Jesus! God changed my family. He changed my world. He changed the eternity of my daughter."
 
WOW!!! What a great testimony. God wants to change us too! So, put your trust in Jesus. Bring Jesus into your heart and home. This is the best thing all of us can do! And Dads, it’s the best way to stand-up for our children.
 
Also, Jairus stayed close to Jesus. When unexpected problems pop’s up, stay close to the Savior.
When other people seem blessed and you seem forgotten, stay close to the Savior.
When your situation seems hopeless, stay close to the Savior.
 
We need the same attitude we see in the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk. In Habakkuk 3:17-19, the prophet declared:
 
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.
 
 
 
Christians… Even when things seem worse than ever, stay close to the Savior. And Dad’s, we can be a father worth following if we stay close to the Savior.
 
IN CONCLUSION:
 
Many of us have been where Jairus was that day. All of us will be there one day. You thought things were bad, and all of a sudden, they got worse. The storm turned into a tornado. Time has run out for you, and the situation looks absolutely hopeless. What can we do in situations like that? Exchange your fears with faith. Keep believing in Jesus!
 
Jesus came through in a miraculous way for Jairus. And He will always come through for us. No, we will not always see miraculous healing in this world. But Jesus Christ will always come through for us. So, exchange your fears with faith! With everything that was going on Jairus life, Jesus made this comforting promise!
 
Mark 5:35-36
35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
 
“Do not be afraid; only believe.” (NKJV)
“Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (NIV)
“Do not fear, only believe.” (ESV)
 
Trust in the Lord! Trust in His Word and His work. Trust Him when you get the most disastrous news. Trust Him when others are laughing in disbelief. Trust Him to do the most amazing things in your life. Trust Him even when the miracle doesn’t come through for you.
 
YES!!! We can be dad’s worth following. We need to watch and learn from the perfect Father… Our Father who art in heaven! Let’s be the dad’s who believes that all things are possible with God. Let’s overcome our fears and doubts with faith!
 
We may never reach the point of perfection dad’s, but we already failed if don’t try.
Here are Gods commands for the dad’s in this church. And these are the areas in which I know, by Gods help we can be fathers worth following…
 
 
 
 
 
Ephesians 5:25-28
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might [a]sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
 
And Again…
 
Ephesians 6:4
4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
 
We can all be people worth following. We can all be friends, neighbors and family members worth following, if we will follow the Lord.
 
Can I now please have all the dads in the front please.