Father's Day | Ps Graeme Politanski

Hey, welcome to the City Point Church podcast.

Thanks for joining us. Every day is an opportunity to

take hold of. So we hope this message inspires

you and build your faith that it helps you have more of a God

perspective for your day. Enjoy.

Is there faith in your bones this morning?

Could you declare out loud today?

My heart is open, my ears are alert to grow and change and

never be the same. Amen.

Amen. Once you be seated and today's

message, you know it's Father's Day and I love the honor to be

able to speak into the the lives of the fathers of the house.

And I'm pretty experienced in this realm.

So it is worth listening and, and, and, but today's message

isn't just for fathers. Like everyone's going to get

something from it. I've got, I've got 3 points and,

and three tips today for everyone and for you to take

home and have conversations in the cafe after the service.

But mums of the house, women, man of the house, youth, young

adults in the house, kids in the house, you've got something to

listen and lean into today. And before we get around our key

scripture with which is in the book of Deuteronomy and the last

book of the Torah and the 5th book of the Bible, Deuteronomy

6, if you want to open your Bible to chapter 6 of that, I

just want to give you some context.

Now in your Holy Scriptures, the book of Deuteronomy was written

when Israel was on the opposite side of the Jordan to the

promised Land. So Israel's on this side of the

Jordan. They've won a few battles and

they're about to crossover into the promised land that they've

been walking towards for 40 years.

And I don't know if you've ever had promises in your life from

God or you've read the scriptures and it's like the

scriptures have spoken to you about your, your future, you,

your, your destiny, your life, your purpose.

And it feels like you've been going around the desert for 40

years. Let me tell you, the purpose of

that is, is your learning, It's your, it's your sacrificing,

it's your surrender. And because God had, when God

has something greater for your life than where you are now, the

same, you can't go into the greater realm.

And so God needs to prepare us and mold us and shape us.

And this is done through surrender.

And so the more Israel was able to surrender of themselves,

their desires, their their wishes and wants and of the

things of the past, OK, the the more they were able to do that,

the closer they got to their promised land.

Now here we are on the opposite side, just opposite Jericho.

Do we all remember the story about Jericho?

They marched around the walls and the walls foot fell down.

Well, that was the first city that Israel talked when they

entered the promised land. So here we are before they do

this. And Moses delivered his feet,

farewell speeches. He delivered and reiterated

God's law to the new generation of Israel.

And this is where we pick up today's text in general

generosity. There's a good message, Matt.

Wasn't that incredible, man, I was inspired.

I nearly went home. Hey, I thought today's over.

This is awesome. Matt nailed it.

Fantastic. Matt, you got a real gift on

your life. You know that.

And you're called and anointed. You're a storyteller, and I know

someone out who was a storyteller and he went a long

way and Jesus heads up and you're following in these

footsteps. Well done, good man, good young

man. And I'm Deuteronomy 6 versus one

to seven. It says this now this is the

commandment, and these are the statues and judgments which the

Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe

them in the land which you are crossing over to possess.

That you may fear the Lord your God to keep all His statues and

his commandments which I commanded you, you and your

grandson, and your son and your grandson, all the days of your

life, and that their days may be prolonged.

Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it

may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the

Lord God of your Father's has promised you a land flowing with

milk and honey. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our

God, the Lord is 1. You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your

strength. Let me say that again.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all

your soul, and with all your strength.

Now listen to the verse 6. And these words which I

commanded you today shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk

of them when you sit in your house.

You shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk

by the way, and when you lie down.

And when you rise up, listen, you shall talk of these things

when you do the action of sitting down in your house, when

you walk by your way in your daily life, when you lay down at

night, and when you raise up in the morning.

There's keys for us here today. As Moses is preparing Israel to

enter the Promised Land, his greatest concerned is not the

lands. His greatest concern for you is

not even the promise that He has for you.

His greatest concern for your life is not how well you perform

and fulfill the promise that He has for your life.

His greatest concern is not the land, but the next generation's

faithfulness. His greatest concern was the

children, fathers, mothers in the house.

Today, God's greatest concern is what you leave to the next

generation, to your children and the generation in the world

around us. He reminds fathers and families

that God's Word must not be heard only but be lived and be

passed down. This is the heartbeat of

Christian parenting and fatherhood.

Is that your your faith not be just heard but be implemented

into your children's life. I think this, sometimes we are

just too concerned with the greater mission and not

concerned enough with the immediate mission.

It's one thing for me to stand up here and charge the whole

church to the mission of the community.

If I'm neglecting my own children #1 mission is my

children. I love you, Church, but my

children are #1 they're me. And God has placed into my

direct care my children. Here's the thing about my

children. They were there since the day

they were born in my life. And they will be there in my

life, in my memory, in my heart, in my action, in my motive, till

the day I go to heaven. And then when I'm in heaven,

I'll be judged upon the legacy that I left into the life and

heart of my children. So in your life, whether you're

a spiritual parent here today, just just a member of the

church, someone new today, a father or a mother or even a

child, we need to understand that our legacy has an immense

importance from God and the commissioning from God.

So .1 this morning is God's word must first live in the hearts.

God's word must first live in our hearts.

Verse six said these words shall be in your heart.

Listen, faith is caught before it's taught.

I've had to learn this. I've I've experimented with this

and I I thought that I could teach just by telling people.

And I've learned that my life matters more than what I say.

Listen, my behaviours matter more than what I say and what I

say reinforces the truth of my behaviour.

Now what you say can RIP a person down, but what you do

will lift the person back up. I've learned this.

I can RIP a person down with my words, but I don't.

I can't build them up just the same with my words.

I build people up by getting under them and lifting them

physically by them seeing my number one concern by the fruits

of my life, the actions of my life and my behaviour.

My kids learn more from me by what they see of their dad than

what dad tells them to do. You know the old saying, we have

this joke in our house. I think we're joking.

We're joking. I'm we're pretty sure.

I'm pretty sure it's a joke. It's a joke to me.

It's no, it's a it's a joke. It's a joke in our house, right.

But we, we often, we often say, do what we say, not what we do,

but it's completely it's a joke. It's a judge me drink of water.

You guys are harsh. The reality is as we say that

because we know the truth is, is do what we do and let what we

say reinforce that and bring strength to that.

Does this make sense? And so, so faith is taught,

caught before it's taught. Children follow what they see

lived out, not only what they hear.

They follow what they see the behaviour of our life, not just

what we say. Why would you follow someone

that says something that doesn't do it, that that discounts what

they say because they're saying something, but there's no real

value in that because they wouldn't do it in the first

place. Does that make sense?

And so people see the value in what you do.

And then when you say it, it has strength to it and truth wrapped

up in it. Psalms 119 Eleven says your

word. I have hidden in my heart.

And so sometimes we see that and we go, yeah, it's the word of

God. No, no, no.

It's what you do with the words, it's what you do with what mum

and dad are saying or parents. It's what you you train your

children to do with their action of what they do with what you

say. It's hidden in my heart.

Proverbs 423 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of

out of it springs the issue of life.

It's just interesting that what is in our heart, what we

actually apply into our lives, out of that will spring out the

issues of life. So we are to hide His word in

our heart and keep putting it in us.

So Father's Day tip #1 for the fathers, before you can pass on

faith, you must know God personally.

Your daily walk with Jesus will leave your a greater impact than

your words will leave. Father's Day.

Tim point #2 Fathers are called to impress God's word on their

children. This is our #1 mission and call

from God. In verse seven, the first part

of verse 7, it said you shall teach them diligently to your

children. The word teach means to sharpen,

engrave and shape. In other words, we shape our

children with the word of God. Does this make sense?

There's more than preaching at there's a shaping behavioural

thing that we do with our children.

Passing faith is not automatic. It takes takes intention,

consistency, and repetition. It takes intention, consistency,

and repetition. It takes intention on being

intentional right now, consistency on being consistent

right now, and repetition. I'm repeating myself is because

I I want it's not automatic that you're going to hear what I'm

saying, but through intention, consistency and repetition, you

will remember those three points.

Does that make sense? So This is why we want to have

intention and consistency and repetition in what we do in our

life. Proverbs 22 six says train up a

child in the way he should go. Keywords Frame.

Is there any? Is there any athletes in the

house? My hands down.

There's no athletes in this house.

Man, we got to work. We got one down the front.

Can we put our hands together for Robin this morning?

Leading the way. Yeah, I've learned this.

I tried to run 5 KS with my amazing wife.

He just runs it and she's running, she's talking, she's

probably planning on her phone and and I unfortunately for for

me, I, I just one K and I'm pretty wrecked.

I can walk 5 KS. I've learned and and it takes it

takes a lot of training, right? And so we are prepared to train

when it comes to doing the park run every Saturday, you know,

we're prepared to train how to understand the world of

computers, mostly because we want to shop and get cheap

prices online. And, and so we train for things

in our life. When you get a job, you've got

to train for that. But the reality is, is if you

want your children to walk in the ways of God, we've got to

train our children. We'll train ourselves, but we

will train our children. And, and that might sound

simple, but I, I can see that I live in a world where children

train children and the parents are absent or working on

training themselves. But let me tell you, because of

your age, you have something to teach.

Because of your life experiences, you have something

to teach and so teaching or, or is it requires more than just a

saying something? We've gotta train our children

and fathers. I know you do an amazing job in

this, but I reckon we can lift the ante in this church and we

can just go. You know what, I'm not, I'm not

going to pre chat my children so much.

I'm not going to just tell them things so much.

I'm going to be the example of this so that I can train them in

the ways of the Lord and in faith.

Amen Mothers, you can do the same.

It will be good for all of us to do it.

Unity in the house is a good thing.

And so Ephesians 64 says, fathers, do not provoke your

children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and

Admiral, the big word there is, is it on the screens.

There we go. You just read it.

You read it yourself of the Lord.

Proverbs 27 the righteous man walks in integrity.

His children are blessed after them.

It doesn't said say the righteous man talks with

integrity. He said you can tell the

righteous man because of the way he walks.

He walks with integrity. And then what happens?

Well, then the children are blessed.

And if you're looking at your family dynamic or just being

roaring and honesty, if you're looking at your family dynamic

and wondering where the blessing, the real question is,

is where is the example of integrity and fathers in the

house today? I know that every single father

in this house and mother in this house has it deep inside of you.

You can rise up to this new way of walking with integrity so

that your children will walk in your blessing.

Amen. It's one thing to pray the

blessing of God over your children, but God says, but I

have blessed you through salvation in Jesus Christ that

you now walk a different way. You walk by faith now and not by

sight. You don't walk by what you see,

but you're walking is exampling who he is and the

transformational work. And when you know what I love

the one of the greatest, I just cut myself off.

It's weird when you do that right?

But I, I just love seeing people when their lives are, are

drastically transformed by the love of God.

Like we just get this example so much in our in our church.

Their lives get transformed and then they live so radically

different, but they're so far from what we might call perfect

or or they're so far from even the Christian living and life

experiences that I have yet in an instant, because of their

dramatic transformation, they example that they they shout it,

but their life just they dress different.

They change things at home. They throw things out and they

tell us about it, but they don't just tell us we get to see it.

Have you has anyone in this church seen people like this

walking around the church right. And we it's just so beautiful

for us to watch. You know, for me, being a

lifelong Christian, I watch that and it stirs my faith to ways

that Chris can't stir because Chris has been a Christian for a

long time. And when I see these guys come

in it, it's a new stirring of my faith of come on grain.

Where is your example of trance with God has done so many things

in your life for you to testify. But to show the world around

this is this is where Miracle Services came out of.

It's like my way to show the world.

I'm like, well, you've given me a church.

God, let's use this ship and, and, and, and just make a way

for the world around to see the transformation that God has done

in our lives because we want to share in their lives.

Amen. Father's Day tip #2 Father's

teach your children through regular conversations, prayer,

reading of scripture together. Teaching is not only with words,

but with constant example. Point #3 This morning faith is

lived out in everyday life. Your faith is not a Sunday

thing. Your faith is not a it's

definitely not a secret thing. Your faith is not just a

personal thing. Your faith is to ooze out of who

you are, the love of Jesus Christ and everything He has

done in your life. Verse 7, the second-half of that

verse says talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk

by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.

You know, I was praying about this message this morning and I

believe God highlighted this to me.

And he said that people focus on the talk of them, the talk of

them, but the talk of them is not the full stop point.

The talk of them is not how we do it.

The the talk of them is literally words.

It's the talk of them when you do the action.

Sit in your house when Dad is home.

I talk to my kids when you walk, by the way, when I walk to work

through my workplace, wherever I go, I'm, I'm talking, I'm

testifying, I'm declaring what God has been doing.

You know, let me just throw out a challenge because I know that

this can be really difficult for some.

But I really believe that you have what it takes within you to

just let this come out. And as you do the first and the

second, the third time, you're actually going to find fun in

this. But when you're at work, why

don't you tell people about what happened at church on Sunday?

When when people say how was your week, don't focus on

Wednesday, focus on Sunday because Sunday set up your

Monday to Saturday right it. This is what church is the the

Saints come together, we rejoice, we testify together and

there's the edification of the Saints.

This is scripturally what what we get together for.

And so on Sunday we are edified as the Saints of God in the

mission and the purpose that God and the call and the the worship

and our our connection with God. Let that be what how was your

week this week? Oh man, it started on Sunday.

Can I just tell you what happened at church?

Here he goes again. And then you tell them.

And let me tell you, by the end of it, they just be like, wow, I

never get this in my life. Well, you can, you know, And

then maybe on Wednesday you're not telling them about Monday.

Maybe on Wednesday you'd be leaving, leading them to the

Lord. Or maybe Wednesday's

conversation would be an invite and Friday's conversation.

But as you walk into the car to celebrate that great, great

week, well, instead of spending all your money this week, why

don't you come to church on Sunday?

You know what I mean? It's so we can reshape our world

so that there's not empty word, but there's words with action

and behaviour into into wine together.

Does this make sense? So people follow a transformed

Christian. They don't follow Christians who

just speak about transformation. I don't know about you, but I've

seen a lot of people that speak about the goodness of God and

the things of God. But then I'll watch their lives

and they don't tithe. I watch their lives and they

don't pray with their children. I've watched how they discipline

and I've gone. Where's the grace and the love

of God? And I've seen the example and

the example hasn't lined up with the words.

I don't like to follow words. I like to follow people.

And this church is a church full of leaders, right?

Could you just lift your hand up right now in the air?

Just everyone lift your hand up. Lift your hand up.

Yeah. Just everyone.

Just just the whole lot. Let's just be crazy for a

moment. Lift our hand to judge.

That's awesome. OK, leaders, put your hands

down. So passing on faith happens in

the ordinary rhythms of life. God's word is not for one day,

the Sunday, but for all of your life.

Lift your hand if God loves you on Thursdays.

Yeah, I thought so. I thought so.

This is good. This is good.

Joshua 2415. And As for me in my house, yeah,

the youth, the youth know the Scriptures.

Psalm 78, four. Does anyone, can anyone quote

that one? So could you read out loud

Second Timothy one verse 5? Oh, read it out, read it out.

You should take as long as I take when I'm ready.

Where did Timothy's faith come from?

Through his mother and his grandmother's example, That's

where Timothy's face. So Father's Day tip #3 father's

at the table. Share what God is doing on the

road. Talk about God's guidance.

At night, pray over your children, and in the morning,

begin with gratitude. Can I just give you, it's not my

notes, but it's a really good example, a conversation.

I can't even remember the conversation.

Come on, God, come on, God, give me a conversation.

I was driving in my my son's car just two weeks ago and I can't

remember the conversation. It's coming though, right?

Anyway, it's so we're driving in the car and Bobby and I were

just talking. It was just him and me in the

car and we just started talking about there we go.

It's coming, it's coming. You know, there's a lesson in

that. Hey, can I give you the lesson

or day-to-day you don't you just keep talking the story.

No lessons this morning. And so and so Bobby and I were

just chatting and Bobby, I just said, how's youth going?

And Bobby and any other music directors in the youth group?

And, and I was just saying, how is youth going?

How's your leadership going? And he said, you know, Dad, I'll

just, I'll just watch you on Sundays.

This is good dad moment right now.

And he just said, I'll watch you on Sundays and I'll watch how

you lead the dream team. And so I've just been doing that

at youth and that's how I've been leading and it's been

working. It's been good.

And I said, yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep leaning into Dad, Bobby.

He knows what he's doing. And learn, learn from my

failures because I've done all the mistakes, right?

I'm still doing some at the moment.

But as I learn, you know, if your children can follow in your

footsteps, they build upon our mistakes into a greater future.

Amen. Let me tell you, there is no

mistakes in the mistakes that you've made in your life.

Now some people in this room, they're like, whoa, Pastor Gray,

that's a massive statement. You, you don't really understand

what I've done. Let me tell you, I understand

the Redeemer and what he has done and what he does.

Your mistakes with God or without God, you still did them

all right? So they've happened.

But he turns all things together for good.

And when the Scripture says he turns all things together for

good, he doesn't mean, but that he means absolutely anything

that you would bring to him. He will turn it together for

good. Every time you've slept with

someone, he will turn that together for good.

Every time you've pulled someone down, he will turn that together

for good. He will take these things and he

will turn them around to be examples that your children will

learn from so that they do not have to fulfil what you you

fulfilled in your life. Amen.

You can tell them the right thing, but when they see God

redeem you and I form the wrong thing and see our reactions to

that, that them is the greatest examples of faith that they

could ever have in this world. And you know what I think?

I think this world talks just too much.

I'm not talking about the church.

This world talks so much and with their words of you should

do this, 5 minutes later YouTube says you should do that, 6

minutes later Facebook says you should do that.

And there's so many examples and, and untangible words and

examples and instructions out there that our generation or

this generation thinks that the words and, and what people say

holds truth. But when the church comes along

and we example the transformational power of God in

our lives, the world goes whoa. And it blows their minds because

they don't see the positives of transformation.

They only see the negatives of when people follow empty words.

Does this make sense? And so as the church in as as

you being part of the church fathers in your house today,

when you example what God has done in your life, that isn't

just a good thing. It's a mind blowing world

changing thing to this generation.

This generation has been built on words, but it's going to be

transformed through the power of God that transforms people's

lives. Amen.

Do you accept that this morning as as like a bit of a

commissioning over your life that I am more than what I say,

but I am what I do and what God has done through my life?

Let me just bring one more Scripture this morning from the

apostle John. The apostle John wrote in three,

John one to four in the amplified version.

I have no greater joy than this to hear that my spiritual

children are living after they're living their lives in

the truth. It doesn't say I have no greater

joy than this to hear what's on the mouth of my children.

It says. But to see, to hear my that my

spiritual children are living their faith.

They're not speaking about faith.

Yeah, God can do it, but they are living it.

Look what God has done. Amen.

And I think sometimes when we read the scriptures, we stop at

the hearing, we stop at the the speaking and the stop at.

But we, we need to see that that is always uplifting A behaviour.

It's always uplifting what the transformational truth of the

word of God is. So three things to remember

today. Number one, let His word live in

your heart #2 and press it on your children.

Don't just say it and press it on the stampum, right?

And #3 teach it daily in ordinary life.

Listen, your faith today shapes your children's tomorrow.

Your faith today shapes your children's tomorrow.

Amen. You receive that today when we

close our eyes here this morning.

Let me pray Father, I just want to pray a blessing, Lord God,

over all the parents and spiritual parents and foster

parents and grandparents, father and over the dads.

Father, I just want to thank you for this honour of being a

father to children that you've given, You've given me and all

of us men such a great responsibility.

It's a great responsibility. It's big, it's great.

And Father, I thank you for that.

You would see us as worthy as being the man of houses, being

husbands and being fathers. And so, Father God, I just pray

a blessing right now over all the fathers of the house, that

Father, that you would strengthen us as you

strengthened your son, that you would gift us as you've gifted

your son Jesus, That you would empower us continually as you've

empowered your son Jesus. And that you would help us walk

out the truth of who you are as we saw example in Jesus.

And Father, I just pray this blessing over all the fathers of

the house today and the strength that I know is in US.

I call it out today. Lord Godfather, people from

broken marriages. Father Godfather, I just thank

you for your your faith right now to just infuse all these men

and all the women as well. Lord God, the the brokenness is

not a brokenness between you and us.

But Father, in that you said that when we are weak, then you

are strong, You're always strong.

But we get to see it in that moment.

So Father, all the single dads in the house, I thank you for

them and I pray an immense blessing upon them.

Lord God, amazing man and women, but amazing men today, Lord God

that would rise up and say, you know what, I'm going to example

what it is to live with Jesus Christ in spite situations and I

thank you for a strength in them all gone.

And Father, I just thank you for what you've done in all of our

lives in Jesus name, you know.