Sermons
A Father's Last Words
A FATHER’S LAST WORDS
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / June 17, 2018
Our 42nd Annual Summer Youth Retreat (Camp 2:52) begins next Sunday. Caravan departs at 1pm sharp.
At last count we had 54 youths planning to attend along with about 25 counselors and 7 cooks.
Next Sunday’s 9:15 class time will be devoted to campers and counselors sharing One Of My Fondest Camp Memories.
Happy Father's Day to all of you dads.
Our fathers have such an impact on our lives (hopefully for good rather than evil).
My life has been blessed by two fathers - - my natural father, Bodie Siverd, and my father-in-law, Jack Glasgow.
Jeannie's father was a very unique man - - a one of a kind. He was a preacher of the gospel for 60 years and
highly beloved by so many. He was born in Alabama and spent his life preaching with numerous congregations
in various places throughout the south: Alabama … Texas … Florida … Mississippi … and Tennessee.
One of things that made Jack so unique was his never-ending colorful expressions.
I call them “Jackisms”. We have intentions of making an extensive list of his phrases.
Many of his sayings were attributable in his southern roots - - often referred to as “southern colloquialism”.
They weren't necessarily original with him, but many of them are quite comical to us yankees.
On a scorching day in the deep south he would say, It's hotter than a boiled oil.
He used to tell Jeannie that she was cuter than a bug's ear.
When someone was being overly impatience, he'd urge: just a cotton pickin'minute.
When reflecting on a person with quirky behavior, he'd say, that guys a funny duck.
On a good day, if someone ask him how he was doing he'd often answer, I'm finer than frog's hair.
Sometimes when bothered by someone else he'd disparagingly call them a beetle brain or a
bird brain or a bonehead. When especially agitated he'd speak of another as a bald-headed crackpot.
One way of expressing his amazement was to say, I'll be John Brown.
When driving, he hated to be passed by a woman and would say, There goes a loose car with a woman in it.
In defining a “goof up” he would say, I believe you've flubbed the dub.
To confirm hIs seriousness about a matter he would often say, I mean it!!
A pepsi was a burpsy. When the fuel tank in his car got close to empty he needed to get some push-water.
One of the most comical exchanges we family members remember was when Dad confided in me one day
that he was concerned about the direction of the Gateway church (I have several relatives who are members there). When I asked what concerned him, he said “they were jibed up.” I asked him, “In what way?”
“Were they saying Amen?” “Nooo!” … “Were they clapping during songs?” “Nooo!”
“Were they raising holy hands during prayer or singing?” Nooo!
With a measure of exasperation, Jeannie's mother Charlotte, chimed in asking, “Jack, what do you mean?”
To which he vigorously retorted, “I don't know, but they were jibbbbed up.”
Lest you think I'm being disrespectful in making fun of Jack now that he's gone, all of us in the family
still employ many of these “jackism” from time to time. Perhaps its our way of honoring his memory.
We loved him dearly; we miss him sorely; And we delight in reminiscing about his remarkable personality.
We wish we could have him back with us, but he is a far better place - - a heavenly abode with the Lord.
One of the last conversations we had with Jack was “his last supper” at our table in late December of 2007.
He mentioned that he had observed a lot of traffic going on in our back yard. He said he saw lots of headlights.
We smiled (with disbelief) and told him since there weren't leaves on the trees he was probably seeing cars on Rt.11.
Not long after Jack had become bed-ridden (he passed away in early January),
one night we witnessed a bunch of snowmobiles criss-crossing each other in the field behind our house.
Open your Bible to 1 Kings chapter two
For the last two Sundays we have been pondering the last words of the prophet Zechariah to Zerubbabel.
Do not despise the day of small things (Zech.4:10).
On this Father's Day I want us to reflect on the last words spoken by King David to his son Solomon.
Some deaths are more dramatic than others.
In Scripture, the book of Genesis ends with Jacob's valediction (a valedictory is a farewell address).
In Gen.49:1 we are told that Jacob summoned his twelve sons and then proceeded to speak a final specific
prophetic utterance to each one of them. Gen.49 ends with vs.33 - - When Jacob finished charging his sons,
he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.
I would venture to say that many of you who have lost your father to death,
may be like me in that you cannot precisely recall you're father's specific last words.
My father spoke quite coherently with a cancer specialist on a Sunday afternoon.
He was very alert and appeared to be keen of mind, exchanging the names of various chemicals he had
been exposed to throughout his thirty plus years of work with chemical plants in Pensacola and Ashtabula.
An hour or two later they wheeled his bed to a special hospice-house wing of the hospital.
Two days later (on Tuesday, late afternoon), his sister and brother-in-law from Middleburg Heights visited.
That evening he went to sleep and never awakened.
I had no idea that that would be the last night of his life on planet earth.
1Kgs.2:1-4 reads as follows - -
As David's time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son saying,
'I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.
And keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes,
His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written
in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn,
so that the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying,
“If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart
and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel”.'
The drama is thick here. King David utters his last words to his son, the soon-to-be famous King Solomon.
It would be easy to relegate this passage to some elevated echelon (esoteric - - words for a select few).
Yet these are words that all of you fathers must begin to instill early on in the hearts and minds of your children.
They are not words to be spoken once in a lifetime.
In many respects these words must become FIRST WORDS as much as they are LAST WORDS.
In fact, if they are only “last words” they will ring hollow.
Let us rehearse again, David's words to his son.
Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man (2Kgs.2:2b)
literally, keep the keeping of the Lord
These words remind us of the final charge given by Moses to his young co-worker Joshua - -
Be strong and courageous...(Deut.31:23).
Afterwards, Moses addressed all of the people of Israel (Deut.32:1ff) and then God directed him to
go up on the mountain and look out over the land of Canaan, and then die on the mountain (Deut.32:50)
These words, etched in Joshua's mind, became his opening charge to Israel after Moses' death (Josh.1:6, 9 & 18).
Whatever God tells you to do, do it!
Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in his ways (2Kgs.2:3a).
However they are presented: via statutes, commandments, ordinances, testimonies, according to what is written...
that you may succeed in all that you and wherever you turn (2Kgs.2:3b).
One of the greatest desires of any conscientious father is to provide a path to success for his children.
Here it is - - successfulness is ultimately measured by a life of faithfulness to God.
In 2Kgs.2:4a - - David “defines” faithfulness to his sons as meaning
to walk before (the Lord) in truth with all their heart and all their soul.
Serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind / 1Chron.28:9
These are words spoken by a father to his son, but with a little creativity a godly father
can speak similar words regardless of gender - - to both sons and daughters.
Words are necessary to provide our children with instruction and guidance.
But the best way to TEACH is by both word and deed.
All of us know that old axiom: “Actions speak louder than words.”
So it is incumbent upon you fathers to SHOW your children how to live godly lives.
It is a good thing for a father to want to send his children to Sunday school and church.
But it is a far, far better thing to BRING THEM WITH YOU.
Eph.6:4 / bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
That's the second part of vs.4.
The first part warns: fathers do not provoke your children to anger;
but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
In Col.3:20 Paul urges children to be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.
In the next verse (Col.3:21), Paul cautions the fathers - -
do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart.
There is nothing more exasperating (even provoking to anger) than a father who says one thing and does another.
Shawn Wood may have done well in showing Libby how to play volleyball.
Admittedly, there are some things a parent cannot always SHOW their children how to do.
If Libby took up golf, Shawn may not be able to show her how to drive a ball 250' yards straight as an arrow.
But when it comes to spiritual matters, the role of fathers (and mothers) is to both SHOW & TELL.
I know that you dads would just once like me to preach an easy-to-do father's day sermon.
SHOWING our children how to be faithful is perhaps the most difficult assignment of life.
We are all praying for you dads that you will rise up and do it well.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Bless our dads that they might be our spiritual mentors.
Guide them as they shape the hearts and minds of their little ones and teens.
Help them to be faithful teachers as they show their children how to keep Your keepings.
Through Christ, we pray. Amen
