Return to Main Page Being a Great Father Mark 9:33-35 Introduction: A. Happy Father’s Day! 1. The Father's Day Top Ten List (of things you've been itchin'to say - realizing of course that Father’s Day is the only day of the year we could get away with it!) #10 Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials. #9 Shopping is NOT a sport! #8 Sunday = sports. It’s like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be. #7 “Yes” and “No” are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question. #6 Check your oil! Please, check your oil! #5 Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all past comments become null and void after 7 days. #4 If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one. #3 If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing’s wrong. #2 ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is. #1 Christopher Columbus did not need directions, and neither do we… 2. Favorite Sayings of Fathers a) Go ask your mother! b) Just wait until I get you home! c) When I was your age.... d) My father used to tell me... e) I used to walk to school barefoot in the snow! f) Be home early. g) I love you, Son! h) I love you, Princess! i) That's not a tear, I have something in my eye. 3. Little girl to her Mother, “Mommy, if Santa Claus brings our presents, and God gives us our daily bread, and Uncle Sam gives us Social Security, why do we keep Daddy around?” I. What Father’s Really Want: To be a great Father A. Father’s Day Gifts 1. What Fathers really want a) Recognition and honor b) Respect and authority c) A challenge to do good d) But what Father’s desire most of all is to be a Great Father! 2. These are legitimate needs in the lives of Fathers, but when they become selfish, they are wrong! a) Selfish desires want more and more to the point of lusting and consuming and hoarding. b) When these desires become prideful, covetous, envious, and hurtful to the point of disputing and destroying, they are wrong (James 4:1-3). B. Greatness Is a Virtue (Mark 9:33-37) ³³Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” ³⁴But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. ³⁵And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, ³⁷“Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” 1. It is not wrong to desire greatness, to desire to make a contribution to the lives of others. 2. Jesus did not rebuke the disciples’ to be great. 3. What He did was to direct their desire to be great, their energy and motives and efforts in the right direction. C. The Enemy of Greatness: Pride 1. Desire for greatness that leads to argument and division is wrong and is driven by pride. 2. “Pride is one of the commonest sins which beset human nature … It is a subtle sin. It rules and reigns in many a heart without being detected, and can even wear the clothing of humility. It is a most soul-ruining sin. It prevents repentance, keeps people back from Christ, checks brotherly love and nips spiritual concern in the bud. Let us watch against it and be on our guard. Of all clothing, none is so graceful, none wears so well and none is so rare as true humility.” —J. C. Ryle II. Marks of Greatness in a Father True greatness is based on what God says is great A. Great Obedience to the Lord – Matthew 5:19 ¹⁹Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven 1. Don’t get angry (vv. 21-22) 2. Seek reconciliation (vv. 23-26) 3. Don’t lust after women (vv. 27-28) 4. Remove temptations from your life (vv. 29-30) 5. Don’t divorce your wife (vv. 31-32) 6. Do not swear at all, rather, “let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” (vv. 33-37) 7. Don’t seek revenge (vv. 38-39) 8. Help others willingly (vv. 40-42) 9. Love, pray for, and great both your neighbors and your enemies (vv. 43-47) 10.Be as your Father in Heaven (v. 48) B. Great Faith in the Lord – Matthew 8:10; 15:28 1. This kind of obedience requires great faith – trusting God in all things in your life! a) Centurion b) Syro-Phoenician Woman 2. Without faith it is impossible to please God – Hebrews 11:6 C. Great Humility in Serving the Lord – Matthew 20:26-28; Mark 9:35 ²⁶Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. ²⁷And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 1. The essential component of greatness is humility in serving others. 2. If a father desires to be great, then he must actively use his gifts and abilities to serve others. 3. In a single sentence, Jesus taught the essence of true greatness, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). a) Greatness is determined by servanthood. (1)Fathers are spiritual leaders in their family and a true leader places himself and his needs last. (2)Jesus is our example with his life and his death. (3)Being a “servant” means having an attitude of life that freely looks after the needs of others without expecting anything in return. (4)That describes a great father! (5)An attitude of service brings true greatness in God’s kingdom. 4. To teach us a lesson on humility, Jesus set a child before them and explained that the way to be first is to be last, and the way to be last is to be the servant of all. 5. The world’s philosophy is that you are “great” if others are working for you, but Christ’s message is that greatness comes from serving others. 6. Jesus’ mission was to serve others and to give his life away. 7. A great father has a servant’s heart. 8. They see something that needs to be done and they do it without waiting to be asked and without expecting anything in return. III. How God Makes a Father Great (1 Corinthians 1:27-31) A. Through a Prayer that God Loves to Answer 1. Not “Lord, make me great,” but "Lord, use me more!" a) What father doesn't want to come to the end of his life and know that it was a life well spent for God and His kingdom? b) But think about how you pray! c) Yes, it's a wonderful prayer because it shows your heart is pointed in the direction of God's glory. d) But it can also be a dangerous prayer‑to make us more usable God doesn't make us stronger, He makes us weaker. 2. "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things‑and the things that are not‑to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him .... Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord"' (1 Corinthians 1:27‑31). 3. God doesn't use the strong. a) He uses the weak and the lowly. b) That may be what we're inviting into our lives when we pray, "Lord, use me more!" c) He wants us dependent on Him, not on our strengths, our talents, our experiences. 4. Did you ever stop to think that: a) When Moses thought he was usable (Exodus 2:11‑15), he wasn't. b) When he thought he wasn't, he was. c) After 40 years in the wilderness as a shepherd, God decided Moses was usable. 5. When He called on Moses to serve Him, Moses offered nothing but excuses: a) I'm nobody (Exodus 3:11), b) I have no authority (3:13), c) I'm not persuasive (4:1), d) I have no speaking skills (4:10), and e) I'd just rather not do it (4:13). 6. He was inadequate for the task and knew it, just the kind of man God was looking for. B. Lessons I have learned: 1. Among the lessons I've learned as a father, these stand out: a) To be more usable, we must become even more dependent on Him. (1)Getting to this point can be painful for awhile. (2)But, knowing Him better is worth the pain. b) God has a timetable for accomplishing this. (1)Chances are, it's not the same as ours, but it is always better than ours. c) "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6) is one of the most daunting verses in Scripture. d) God chooses how we serve Him and plants us where He can use us the best. e) The door of usefulness is open to everybody. (1)If the qualification is weakness, we can all qualify. (2)All you have to do is ask and God will use you and make you great in His Kingdom! 2. Ready for a great adventure? Ask God to use you more!

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