Does the Staff Fit Your Hand - Donny Swartzentruber

So once again, on this beautiful evening, we desire a

good evening for each of you, and God's blessings and

greetings tonight in the name of the one that spoke

of himself as the son of Man, which relates to

his ministry while he was indeed the son of God,

and we think of his majesty, and we're together tonight

in his name. We desire to sit at his feet,

as it were, and allow him to teach us. We've

been blessed already tremendously by singing together and the devotional

meditation that was shared. And yes, tonight we like desire

to all like hide behind the cross, and we think

of the blood of Jesus that was shed in our

behalf and provided a covering, a cleansing for us. And

we're here tonight like you know, like the ones were

in Egypt when they were behind those doors where the

blood of the lamb was over the door posts and

the top of the door. And that's kind of how

we want to be together here this evening as we

wait upon the Lord. So it's a blessing being here.

We have a very enjoyable day. It was a blessing

to eat lunch today with Jason and Elsie and Bertha,

and I enjoyed viewing some of the amazing scenes and

nature and God's creation here in Oregon today just you know,

looking out across the skies, the clouds are just very beautiful,

awesome actually, and the clouds moving and rain and the

little sunshine and seeing in the distance snow on the mountains.

We've really enjoyed the day. God, bless you, Thank you

for welcoming us here. It's been a blessing and we

look forward to the rest of our time. I'm here,

Lord willing, so glad for everyone that's here this evening,

and we are thankful again to have you children here,

and we don't have a lot for you this evening,

but we do have a little story. And children, did

you know that God has something to say to you tonight?

You know that if we open up the Bible, there's

a place in the Bible where we read it says children.

It says children, And so tonight we're saying children. And

then we want to tell you something that God says

in the Bible for you children. It says, obey your parents.

You knew that, didn't you. It says children? Obey your parents.

And I want to share a little story with you

tonight about four boys that didn't obey their parents, and

we think about what happened to them, and so the

story is told. It's supposedly a true story. There were

four boys. Two of the boys' names were Mervin and Andy.

I don't know what the other two boys' names were,

but they lived on a farm. And on the farm

there was out in the barn they had a freezer,

a chess type freezer that didn't have anything in it.

It was empty. It was like a chest type freezer,

you know, like the freezers that you open the lid

that folds up and you have that freezer and there

was nothing in that freezer. And one of the things

that mom and daddy told their children and those four boys,

they told them, you may never play in that freezer.

You didn't go into the freezer. You didn't play in

the freezer. Now it wasn't plugged in, it wasn't cold

or anything like that, but they just told them they

daren't play. They didn't go in that freezer. It was

something they knew they weren't supposed to do. And maybe

Mom and Daddy didn't tell them all the reasons why

they couldn't. And sometimes your mom and daddy don't tell

you why you shouldn't do or do certain things, but

you need to obey them, you know, God says, obey them. Well,

this day, Mervin and they got to talking about how

funny it would be to act like they're Esquimos and

have that freezer like an igloo, you know, or something.

They'd go in there and they could play in that freezer.

But they knew they weren't supposed to. But Mervin said, oh,

he said to like to Andy, don't be such a

a ceci and we can yeah, li see, we can

go play in that freezer. And he thought that would

be just so fun, you know, to go in that

freezer and hide out in there. And Mervin, he was

the oldest one, and he said, like, you know, I

can get a board, a stick or a board or something,

and I can put it on the lid to hold

the lid up, and if we can get in there

and play. And so Mervin Andy, they kind of persuaded

all of them. They decided, Okay, they're going to go

do that, and they knew they weren't supposed to do that,

and they went and they started playing in this freezer,

and they thought it was so much fun. Thought it

was so much fun until one of the boys happened

to hit the stick that was holding the lid open,

and the stick fell down and the lid came down

on them. They had to kind of duck and the

lid came down and it clacked, and it was shot.

It became pitch dark for those four boys in the freezer.

And the story says that Murvin said, oh, don't worry,

I can I can open the lid. Don't worry, I'll

push it open. And so, you know, he was the oldest,

he felt responsible for what happened. And so he gets

he starts pushing with his shoulder on that lid and

it didn't budge. And he started pushing hard and it

wouldn't budge. And he even he knew it had a

little that little seal, that little rubber seal that goes

between the lid and the freezer, and he shoted trying

to do something with that to get it out. He

couldn't do anything with that, and all of them it

was pitch black dark. Think about how dark it was

in their children, and they started getting scared. They started

screaming and crying, and they were breathing hard, and that

was using up all the oxygen in there. Mervyn tried

and tried and tried to open that lid, and they

could not open the lid. And there were those four

boys and they were so afraid and crying, screaming, and

so the oxygen was being used up in there, and

soon there wasn't hardly anything in there. There was. They

couldn't breathe very well, and and so one by one

they actually it was long enough, they started becoming unconscious

and they just they they like fainted, they like passed out.

The boys did in there in that freezer, because they

disobeyed Mama and Daddy. That day, there was a feed

salesman that came to the barn, to the to the farm,

and he was looking for the farmer for Daddy, and

he couldn't find him, and so he goes into the

barn and he goes back to the barn and he

gets back there and he years this this faint little noise,

just a little knocking. Mervin was still able to he

was just trying his best. He was still just knocking

on the side of that freezer, and a salesman heard

something going on. He heard that little noise and he

was in this coming from this freezer, and so he

decides he's going to open this freezer and see what's

going on. And the salesman he goes and, oh, you know,

unlocks it and opens the lid of that freezer. And

here were these four boys in there, and a couple

of them had already like passed out, fainted, and Mervin

was still, you know, with it enough, he was still

able to just kind of knock on their sides. And

suddenly the lid opened, and those boys they took him

out and they got out on the grass that laid

on the grass, and but they at least could breathe

finally again, and they started breathing. And we're just so

thankful tonight we can tell you that they all lived

and were okay then, but they almost died in there

because they disobeyed mama daddy. So now, children, I just

like for you to remember that story and remember, you know,

when your mom and daddy tell you don't do this

and do that something else, you just remember, you know,

sometimes it's hard to obey them, right. Sometimes they tell

you something to do. It's hard to do it, but

you just remember this story and you just do what

God says. God says, obey your parents. Okay, you want

to do that, don't you. Yes, you do, Yes, Bless

your children. We're happy to have you here this evening. Again,

we're thankful for the songs we could sing together, the

thoughts that were shared in the devotional meditation. It invites

you to turn to the next to the last book

of the Old Testament tonight, the book of Zachariah, and

we want to read a portion of scripture, several verses

from chapter eight Zachariah Chapter eight. And as we read this,

we want to notice that this was a time of

God's blessing resting upon his people, and God pouring out

his blessing. It was a time of joy and gladness.

It was a time of righteousness and holiness. It was

a beautiful time, a meaningful time. And we want to

notice especially something that was going on in the hearts

of the men in that day. Zacharaich eight. We want

to read verses three through eight. It says, thus, saith,

the Lord I Am returned unto Zion and will dwell

in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called

a city of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord

of Hosts, the Holy Mountain. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts.

There show yet old men and old women dwell in

the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff

in his hand for a very age, and which I

think means for many days, and the streets of the

city shall be full of boys and girls playing in

the streets thereof Thus saith the Lord of Hosts. If

it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of

this people in these days, should it also be marvelous

in mine eye, saith the Lord of Hosts. Thus saith

the Lord of host Behold, I will save my people

from the east country and from the West country, and

I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the

midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be my people, and

I will be their God in truth and in righteousness.

We won't take the time to read verses twenty through

twenty two, but we read there of people coming to

this place and to the people of God, and being

drawn there. And the last few words in this chapter

it says we have heard that God is with you

a beautiful scene, a lot to think about what was

going on here? We notice in verse four it tells

us every man with his staff in his hand? And

tonight I'm challenged as I think of sharing with you,

especially all of us here tonight, of the male gender.

The title what I'd like to give is a title

for this message. As we look at that verse, I'd

like to ask it in question form and trust that

it will become meaningful to us. As we go through

this message tonight, we see that it tells us every

man with his staff in his hand? Again, the title

in question form for you, for us as men here

tonight and of the male gender? Does the staff fit

your hand? Does the staff? And what a staff symbolize?

And what we think about when we see a staff

a shepherd's staff? Does my hand? Does your hand? Because

of the life you live, because of your character and

who you are as a person? Does your hand fit

the staff? Hm? So what do you think of men

when you see a shepherd's staff? First of all, who

do we think of? Primarily? And first of all tonight

we think of the.

Good shepherd, the chief shepherd, the shepherd of the sheep

that we find pictured in the Bible, we think of

Jesus the good Shepherd, the shepherd's staff.

It's so meaningful to think of of what this means

to us, just to view a shepherd's staff as Christians

and especially tonight as men. Now, first of all, just

a few thoughts of how this staff is made. How

is this staff made? A place where this staff was purchased,

It's said that it's made by armies craftsmen. They take

steam and pressure to make this staff. This staff was

not just cut out of a big piece of wood.

This staff. You look at it and you see the

grains of wood going all the way around this staff

and following all the way down to the tip. This

staff was made, this crook was put in here with

steam and pressure. But the way this staff is made

is so special and meaningful. It has a message. As

we look at this this hook, this evening, on this staff,

it means something to us anyone here that relates to

shepherds and flocks of sheep, and as a Christian, it

means something to us. It means rescue, it means it

means carrying, it means drawing. And so as we look

at this this evening, we think first of all, Jesus.

We think of him in Gathsemite tonight and we think

of the pressure he faced and what he went through

as he was giving his life and preparing to shed

his blood for us. We think of the pressure he

was under as he looked at the cup that he

was called to drink from. I just want to encourage

you tonight, as fellow brethren, when you face pressure, extreme pressure. Tonight,

we want to look at some verses in the Bible

Lord willing that call us as men to be what

God wants us to be, and especially when we're under pressure,

and may we remember tonight as we think of what

Jesus did for us. It means so much to us

that he was willing to drink that cup, and that

when you face times of pressure because feeling a responsibility

as a man, as a husband, or as a young man,

or whatever it might be, it can be single men

because of God's calling our life. God can use those

times when we face extreme pressure to shape us and

mold us into the person He wants us to be.

You know, suffering and pressure that we allow to come

into our life and respond and right ways can do

things for us. Nothing else can as we look at

a shepherd's staff tonight again, we think overall tonight as

we go through this whole message of Jesus Christ, and

as we look at this shepherd's staff, we think of

him sorely. But then we think tonight of how he

has called us, all of us, as men of the

male gender, to responsibility to provide shelter, blessing, protection to

what to me seems like the crowning part of his creation,

the gender we consider as female. And I'm sure all

of us here tonight agree with the fact that God

created male and female. He created man Adam out of

the dust of the ground, and then he took a

rib from Adam's side and he created woman. And tonight,

as we look at the scriptures, we see we have

a responsibility. We are accountable to God for how we

view the gender that he created from the side and

the rib of man. As we look at a staff

this evening, you know what does it symbolize. One of

the things we think about tonight is we think about

how Jesus did all of this for us, and then

he comes to us and there's a sense in which

he gives us as men a staff to also carry.

And that's what stands out to us. In the book

of Zachariah, it' said every man with his staff in

his hand, and all that tonight we would all be

here as men that are carrying the staff in our hand,

and we are living what it symbolizes. And it causes

there to be rejoicing in the streets. And there are

boys and girls playing and rejoicing in the streets because

there are men that are being faithful to their calling.

And I'm here tonight as just one of you on

your level. With you, I also with you know what

pressure and even failure and falling is. But tonight don't we,

by the grace of God, we want to rise up

and we want to be worthy to carry the staff.

The first thing we think about as a staff, we

think of how you know this special made hook, And

we think of how Jesus, the Lord, Jesus the Great Shepherd,

he came down to us, and he, like you know,

reached down over the mountain down to where we were,

and he picked us up and drew us to himself.

And as we responded to his voice, he took us.

And another thing the staff can be used for is

to carry you know, we think of that scripture in Isaiah.

It tells us he the Lord shall feed his flock

like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with his

arm and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently

lead those that are with young. A staff can be

used to carry after drawing to carry, and so the

Lord carries us, and we're called to do the same

to those that He's called us to serve. The staff

can be used to point the way, and God calls

us as men to point the way, this is the way,

and may be walking in in humbleness before the Lord.

The staff can be used as a weapon against the enemy,

the enemy of our soul, the enemy of our families,

our children are wives can be used, as you know,

the word of God against the enemy. The staff can

be used to discipline sheep and to discipline those God

has called us to serve. It can also be used

to just carefully guide and direct, as was already mentioned.

The staff also is a symbol of peace. Some twenty three,

the summer said, you know thy rod and thy staff,

they comfort me. There is a scripture, another scripture in Isaiah,

where it says the work of righteousness shall be peace

and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever. And

my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and insure

dwellings and in quiet resting places Isaiah thirty two, seventeen

and eighteen. The staff symbolizes so much, And tonight we're

thinking about being worthy or does the staff fit my hand?

In what a staff symbolizes? Can I join these people

in the book of Zachariah that had every man a

staff in his hand. This will be for later, but

I would as we go through the rest of his message.

So we go through the rest of the message tonight.

You know tonight the message is especially for us as

men and young boys and those all of us tonight

here of the male gender. And I want you to

think about as we go through these message, and it's

for me. First of all, there's on these little staffs,

there's a little there's a scripture on here that we

want to look at and one of the most challenging

scriptures in the Bible for me in filling there responsibility

as a man, as a husband, as a father, and

as one that has a responsibility with people. And then

as you go through this, does a staff fit your

hand want to give all of you opportunity if you

would like to rise up and too be, you know,

to endeavor, by the grace of God, to be worthy

to take the staff, and to take it and to

have it, and to embrace it and to live it

for the glory of God and the good of everyone

that God has called you to serve and minister to.

While you'll have the opportunity, in the privilege to take

one of these with you as a sign of your

desire to embrace what God wants you to be. How

many times do we as men here a verse quoted

from Proverbs thirty one, who can find a virtuous woman

for her price is far above rubies? Now, that is

a verse that I've heard from little up. I've often

heard that verse quoted, who can find a virtuous woman

for a price is far above rubies. Is there anyone

here tonight that can tell me of a verse in

the Bible that's very similar for us as men, something

about men that has some of the same kind of

words in it that us as men need to think about.

And it actually comes before Proverbs thirty one? Does anyone?

And you know, it's fine if you don't know because

I wouldn't have either at one time. But does anyone

think of a verse in the Bible that comes actually

before that verse in Proverbs thirty one, that relates to

what we as men should be? It is Proverbs twenty

and verse six. It says something the first part something

like this, every man or many man. Every man will

proclaim his own goodness. But then it goes on and says,

but a faithful man who can find a faithful man

who can find? Something similar we think of in the

Book of Timothy one Timothy two nine. Sometimes, I mean

we often hear it said there. It says something like

in like manner, also that women adorn themselves in modest appareil,

and goes on with different thoughts in that verse. Does

anyone here tonight know what the verse just before that

verse says? And again we've often heard that most quoted

of how women should adorn themselves in modest apparel. But

men tonight, what does the verse just before that say?

And I'm challenged with it. The verse just before that

it says, I will just turn to it so I

will quote it correctly here we'd like to do that.

The verse before that says, I will therefore that men

pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting.

I think in my lifetime I would have heard verse

nine quoted more often than verse eight. Maybe not, but

that's the way I think it is. But verse eight

comes before verse nine, and it is challenged for us

as men to think of the importance of God calling

us to live up holy hands in prayer to God

without wrath and without doubting. Now I have different things

to use as illustrations here tonight, and to me, Jesus

used many ordinary illustrations. If I have too many tonight,

well I please just think of something that maybe means

something to you, and the rest you can forget about.

But this is something that just means something to me.

As we think of that verse, that men would be

without wrath and doubting, you know, something that can happen

in the lives of us as men. I would just say,

you know, I don't know about you as men, but

I've shared already with people the thing that I believe

hurts me the most in my heart. You know, I

think right now of you know, think of in this

world and in the war torn lands, Think of all

the women and children that are suffering like horribly tonight

as a result of men whose hearts are filled with

wrath and doubting. Something that I believe urts the heart

of God and should hurt us deeply is when there

is a man, a husband that has gone and he

has you know, maybe he was nice enough, and he

asks some certain young lady for companionship and ask if

she would be willing to be his wife, and she

in humility and in response said yes. And then there's

a man that he becomes dark and hard and cold,

and his heart is filled with these stones. I thought

I brought all these today, but there's still some at

home I saw later in the suitcase. And and you know,

this thing was full and like running over. It's a

picture of a man whose heart is full of anger

and bitterness. And what is you know, it's one thing

you feel sorry for the person, of course, But tonight,

what is really really sad is when there's you know,

a wife, a loving wife, a faithful wife, a humble,

submissive wife, and a little child in the home and

Daddy comes home and Daddy, hey, Daddy has not learned

to cast those stones at the feet of Jesus and

find relief and forgiveness and cleaning and joy. And and

he's throwing stones, he's he's angry, he's bitter. How many

times have we as men, we've said things, and we've

we've done things out of anger that wounded the heart

of a dear wife and that dear little four year

old girl that's observing everything we're doing, and and and

and it's seeing God as as what we are as

a father. I don't know of anything that hurts me

more deeply than that. And I don't believe that's here tonight.

But may we as men take God's call in her

life and to be worthy to take a staff. You know,

what is so comforting in a home is to know

that there's a shepherd there. There's someone there with a

shepherd's heart. He's not perfect, he fails, he makes mistakes,

but he has a shepherd heart. He would you know

it was? It used to be said, was it Michael,

forget his last name, that at one point when I

was a lawyer, and he said he would take a

bullet for his clients, for his client, and that we

as fathers, you know, it's it. I pray that tonight

in your homes and families that your wife and children

know there's a shepherd there. There's a daddy there with

a shepherd heart. There's a daddy there that knows what

it is in the middle of the night to wake

up and to go down the hallway and to go

into the bedroom of his dear children and get on

his knees in two o'clock in the morning and intercede

for them and pray for them. Now, that's a home.

That's that's home. That's that's what we want to be

as men of God, and to have that kind of

a heart for our children or families and everyone else

that God calls us to serve. And would just just

encourage us as men here tonight, if any of those

under our care, if anyone observing our life that we've

been call to Minister two, has observed us doing this,

may we find a grace to repent before the Lord

and before those you know, I've said a many a time,

I feel sorry for children that have a daddy that

cannot cry, a daddy that can't say I'm sorry. Blessed

be the children and the wife that here a daddy

that yes, he's the leader, he's in charge, he is

ahead of the home and family. But he can say

I'm sorry, and he can mean it, and he weeps

when he does wrong. Daddies, what does the Bible say

is the glory of woman? The Bible on First grint

Things eleven says if a woman has long hair, it

is a glory to her. In on Grinthings eleven it

also says that that woman is the glory of man.

Can we think about what does the I will say

is the glory of children? That is also in the

Book of Proverbs. It tells us what is the glory

of children? Children also have a glory when we fill

our place. The Bible tells us in Proverbs seventeen six,

the glory of children or their fathers. May we as men,

as frail as we are, and mistakes we make, may

we live a life, take the staff and embrace it

and be worthy of what it symbolizes, and to be

a glory for our children. In other words, that is

my daddy. I remember so well. The day just seems,

I mean almost like it would have been three weeks

ago before. I was going to school, and we served

lunch in school, and I went with Mama to serve

lunch that day, and Daddy came to and we served

the meal to the school children, and then Daddy went

out on the ball field and he helped the children

play ball that day. And I rode home with Daddy

from school back home, and I don't know, I must

have been five years old. I was not in school yet,

and I just remember asking Daddy about, you know, the game.

I don't know what all asked, but I remember asking, no,

who won the game? And Daddy said the other team

won the game. And in my little mind, I knew

Daddy just let them win the game. I knew Daddy

did not try in that game. I mean, it'd have

been no way they could have won the game if

Daddy would have tried his best. In my mind, the

glory of children or their fathers. We are imperfect, we fail,

but it's a blessing when our children can say that

is my daddy. You know. I have never seen my

daddy throw stones without humbling himself and being sorry about it.

I have never seen my daddy strike my mama. I

have never seen him angry at her. I've never seen that. No,

And when he did raise his voice at her, Daddy

he was sorry, and Daddy made it right. Blessed her

the children that can be happy to say that is

my daddy. And you know, when they're this big, that's

not so hard. But what about when they become teenagers

and there's a strain and relationship because you know they

shouldn't be doing this and that and the other. And

it's true, it's strained. It's difficult. But may we be

such a father that even in those difficult times, that

through it all they see godly character and they see

a father that loves them, a father that would do that,

that's up in the night praying for them, a father

that intercedes for them, a father that would do anything

in his power for their good, to sacrifice the way

Jesus sacrifices for us. We turn our Bibles to Second

Samuel tonight and we turned to chapter twenty three. We

this evening were spoken to from a psalm that I know,

I didn't look at the Bible says, but I think

that's a psalm that David wrote, Psalm one O three,

a very beautiful psalm. And we we thank God for

the psalms and David's life the lessons we can learn

from that. It is amazing. Tonight as we look at

the scripture, the Bible here tells us makes it plain

that these were David's last words. And one thing it

just emphasizes over and over again is how it was

God speaking to David, and the spirit of the Lord

was moving him to say these things. And so we

really want to stop his men and take notice of

what it says. Second Samuel twenty three, the first four verses,

it says, now these be the last words of David. David,

the son of Jesse said, and the man who was

raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob,

and the sweet Psalmist of Israel said, the Spirit of

the Lord spake by me, and his word was in

my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of

Israel spake to me. He that ruleth over men must

be just, ruling in the fear of God. The person

that has a responsibility with people, this person must be just.

This person. We won't team to turn to James three seventeen,

but we could read there things that are from above,

the wisdom that is from above, what it is it is.

It is very meaningful to think about what we need

to be and being just, and we must rule in

the fear of God. And then we come to verse four,

and it is so challenging for us as men tonight

than anyone that has a responsibility with people. It can

be teachers, of course, mothers too. He shall be as

the light of the morning when the sun riseth. He

this person shall be as the light of the morning

when the sun riseth. That's how this person needs to be,

by the grace of God, even a morning without clouds,

not like the mornings we're having here in Oregon right now,

but like the ones you'll probably have in May and

June and July, when the sun comes up across the

horizon and there's not a cloud in the sky. So

challenging to be like a morning without clouds. It goes

on to say that we also we need to be

as tender grass springing out of the earth by clear

shining after rain, something alive. You know, your green fields

here are just beautiful. It's just amazing. It's something alive

and real and fresh, not some old brambles and thorns

and briars, but like the tender grass springing out of

the earth by clear shining after rain. Now I have

found those verses some of the most challenging verses. If

you take time and just think about that and all

that that means for us, if we have a responsibility

over people to be like that, a morning without a

cloud in the sky, tender springing grass, as grass springs

forth after a rain, Father's husbands, Can I read several

things to you this evening? Sally stuffs her hands deeper

into her sweater pockets, something that was in the sword

and trumpet, maybe five or six years ago, deeper into

her pockets as she kicks a stone ahead of her

on her way to the mailbox. Why, she says to herself,

Why can't Dad show an interest in my life? I

need someone to talk to. My life seems like such

a nightmare, and when I talk, it seems like his

lights don't come on. Now I'm going to share brother

lel And I was thinking of you today, but it's

really for all of us as men. But I thought

of something Bertha and I experienced about thirty years ago

as we sat and listened to a youth daughter share

her heart, her hurting heart. She had an amazing father,

She had a wonderful father had she had a father

that was on so many committees and boards, and and

I could just I could name quite a few tonight

that that that here her daddy was on and involved in.

He was a world traveler, he was a preacher, he

was a bishop. But just down the hall from his

bedroom was his daughter with a deeply hurting heart that

was experiencing emotional pain. What she longed for just to

also be one that her daddy could have time to

sit down beside and minister to and listen to and

share with and God bless all of yours. Man. We

could take a lot more time that this evening, but

we won't, Daddy, Will you be there for me? Michael

Overhault has written the song so meaningful we could draw

from it in different ways tonight, But it's like a

child saying this to their daddy. There are problems that

are big to me. Will you stop and give your ear?

Will you teach me right from wrong? And will your

teaching stand the test when I come to you with

broken dreams, Daddy, when I'm broken and defiled? Will you

be there? Daddy's you will have a crucial moment if

you have a child that comes to you and they

need to confess to you something drastically wrong that they

did in their life. It'll be like a crucial moment.

How are you going to shepherd that child's heart and

bring that to where God wants them to be and

hear their heart and still and still satisfy what needs

to be done in a church setting and discipline and

order and chastening. That's a critical moment. Will you be

there for me when I come to you broken into file?

And Daddy, will you help me to forgive this a

song with a lot in it? Do we know that?

Paul said in One Corinthians four fifteen. Though you have

ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers?

That's such a difference in being an instructor and being

a father. Can I please read two things to you

yet tonight? A farmer's confession. I don't think this is

here you here tonight as father's, but it is something

for us all to think about. A farmer's confession as

he went into the hay barn and he heard his

children discussing him. And what I heard when I heard

they were discussing me, it shook me in my boots.

They were discussing me the way I was living. The

longer they talked, the sicker I got. I was always

too busy to listen to them. They even mentioned how

happy they would be when they got old enough so

they could just leave, since they never really had a

father and their mother really never had a husband. Did

I read this year before? No, thank you, I didn't

think I did. I slowly sat down on a bale

of straw, wondering whether to run, scream, or keep listening.

For years I had worked around the clock, and now

my children were summing up all my labors in the

haymow above my head. I could have stopped them with

one blood curdling yell, but I knew that what they

were saying really was the truth. And oh how it hurt.

And I'll just skip a lot here tonight. But the

greatest asset, he said, in one's entire life, as his

home and his family, he had traded it for a

mess of pottage. And at the moment everything I had

worked so hard for looked so cheap, so very cheap.

You know, I could not remember, he said, the last

time I had shed a tear. But I had a

deep feeling that in spite of my carelessness and reckless

living that God really did care about me. Suddenly I

found myself kneeling, kneeling beside that bale of straw. I

couldn't believe myself. I was kneeling and I was crying.

I mean, real tears were streaming down my face, tears

that had been stored up for many years. It was

God's night for me, and maybe this is God's night

for you. I really prayed. I asked God to forgive me.

I remember telling him what a failure I was. And

the more I confessed, the harder I cried. I emptied

stuff out of my heart that I had cared for years.

I said, God, if it's not too late, build something

into my children that will make them strong, children that

will master themselves before they seek to master others. Give

them humility so they may always remember the simplicity of

true greatness. Suddenly I felt so much better inside, better

than I had felt for years. Maybe I'll just abbreviate

this by telling you a little bit of what happened.

He found his way kneeling, crying, repenting, then going into

the house and talking to his dear wife that had

been faithful all these years, and asking her about going

out to eat that night, and she was just astounded.

She thought, don't you have to go to the field

yet tonight, And she was just overwhelmed that he would

ask something like that. And he told her something like,

right now, the most important thing for me is to

have time with you. The next morning, after breakfast, I

told the family I have a confession to make. I

told them of the talk the Lord and I had,

and then I asked Mary to bring her Bible and

we would read together. And I waited for Mary, his wife,

to read, but she handed it to me and said, Honey,

we want to hear you read. He said, I tell you,

I felt like a bull in the china shop. My old,

weather beaten, calloused hands didn't seem to match the pages,

but I couldn't believe how perfectly they fit. I stumbled

through a prayer, and when I raised my head to

my amazement, the entire family had tears in their eyes,

including me, and they were tears of joy. Tonight does

the staff fit your hand? In conclusion, someone has written

a tribute to Dad. For a man who saw all

the greatness and beauty in my mother and fell in

love with her. For the man who worked day and

night to provide for her, to prove her he would

never let her down. For the man who held her

close when she was hurting and reassured her when the

uncertain future scared her. For all you did to begin

our family, Thank you. It's written from a child. For

the man who prayed fervently for me before I was

even born. For the man who dreamed of his future

child and smiled at the thought of Daddy's little shadow.

For the man who suddenly felt totally inadequate as he

held me in his arms and cried out to God

to give him the strength and wisdom he didn't have.

For the man who changed my diapers and warmed my

bottle when mommy was tired. For the man who coued

like a baby to make me laugh. For the man

who walked up to the checkout counter with wet wipes

and pampers instead of fishing gear. Thank you. For the

man who gave up fishing trips and boat rides to

have picnics with me in the backyard. For the man

who was humble enough to tell me he was sorry

when he did wrong and taught me to do the same.

For the man who made me tell mommy, thank you

for supper, and thank you for suckers at the bank.

Thank you for the man who faithfully took me to

church every Sunday. For the man who taught me to

pray and take all my problems to God. For the

man who is strong, our family's rock, yet cried when

he prayed for me and kissed me lovingly when he

tucked me into bed at night. For the man who

showed me how to love others, showed me love is sacrifice.

For the man who guided me on the road to

heaven and left me a strong legacy. Thank you, Dad,

Happy Father's Day. It feels like I rush through this

this evening without sharing, really somehow from my heart some

things that should have been shared. But I trust the Lord.

We'll just take it and keep ministering to us. I'm

with you, I'm one of you. I don't share this

this evening as one that has it altogether, but I

do invite you in light of lights. That's the scripture

in Second Samuel. If we have a responsibility with people

to endeavor to say tonight, by the grace of God.

I am a man, I'm of the male gender, and

I'm called to serve and minister and be a blessing

protection and provide leadership for the female gender and for

women and children and girls. And by the grace of God,

tonight I'm going to come up and I'm going to

I'm going to take one of them these staffs. It

has on it second Samuel twenty three, one to four.

I'm going to take it home. I'm going to embrace it.

I'm going to hang it up. I'm going to have

it somewhere well, I'll remember these verses from the Word

of God. I'm going to endeavor to embrace it and

to live it, and to be that kind of a

father and husband and even a single man with everyone

I meet. By the grace of God, You're welcome to

take one of these, even young men. I tried to

bring enough that everyone that would want to have one

can have one. You're welcome to take one tonight if

you want to embrace this and live it. By the

grace of God. I want to just open it up.

If there's maybe if there'd be anyone here tonight, we

have something you'd want to share before we close and

stand for prayer. Please take the opportunity. I don't know

if it is or not, but you can if you

have anything, would there be anyone father in heaven? We

pause at the close of the service to thank you.

We thank you, oh Lord, that you have taught us

to pray and to call upon you as our father

in heaven, and you have also told us that you

give us the Holy Spirit, whereby we have a father.

We thank you, We praise you for being our father

in heaven. And Lord, we pray that you would make

us worthy to take these little miniature understaffs, as it

were to be under shepherds under you. You are the

chief shepherd, the true shepherd, but you've also called us

to be like shepherds under shepherds. Under you. We pray

that you would enable us, Lord, as your children, to

be faithful to your call in our life. We ask

that your blessing and benediction might rest upon all of

us here as we go from here. We thank you

and ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.