Sub-Topic: Fathers, Labor as a God Man
Luke 23:46; Psalms 1:1,2
Rev. Dr. Bishop Carter
This message is a salute to fathers in the observance of Father’s Day, celebrating The Lord’s Day. What a privilege it is to be both a man and a father! What an honor it is to share with you on this special occasion. And, what an honour it is to stand in the pulpit assigned to me for 39 years. Thank God for showing me “That Way,” for my church Family& Immediate Family.
Our text for the hour is taken from Psalms 1 & Luke 23:46. There are two factors I will
expound on for this message. The first is the nature of the man. And the second one is the that of the father.
God's greatest creation is man. It is written in Genesis 1: 26-28, “And God said, "let us make man in our image, after our likeness : and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepth upon the earth. So God created man and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.”
God made man in His image. God obviously did not create us exactly like Himself, especially in the physical state. Instead, we are a mirror, reflections of God’s glory. God is sinless, but we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity. God is eternal, God is unlimited, but we are limited. Although we are given the opportunity to be sinless and eternal, it's all because of God's grace and his mercy. See, we are given the ability to make a choice, but the potential to be sinless is solely of God. We have fallen short, but because of our faith in nothing less than Jesus and His righteousness we can be made whole. Our best hope is to reflect God's character, to express our love for one another, to be patient, to forgive, to be kind, and to be faithful. These are virtues and qualities that God wants of man. These qualities lead man to be righteous, to be like Him. These qualities allow man to be referred to as a God man, not perfect, but a reflection of God. Abel was a God man. He put God first in his life. When it came time to give a sacrifice unto God, he gave God his best. He gave his blessed lamb, his favorite, the best of the best, as a sacrifice to God. He wasn’t like his brother Cain, who was more about pleasing himself rather than pleasing God. He was reflecting self instead of reflecting God. When God gave to us, He gave us his best. He gave us a mirror, a reflection of himself in the name of Jesus, the ultimate God man to redeem man, his greatest creation.
Abraham was a God man. God chose Abraham to be the man who from his seed would come forth as God's people, the nation that God chose to lead all nations unto Godliness, making godly people. From Abraham comes Issac; from Issac comes Jacob; and from Jacob comes his twelve sons producing the nation of Israel. God wants righteous men, men who are blessed.
In our text for the hour, Psalms 1:1ff, we see Godly men and what they do. Ungodly men are like King Ahab who was married to Jezebel, who wanted the vineyard of Nabath. Because of her wickedness, Nabath was killed for his vineyard. Men, make sure that you don't have a Jezebel in your house that can influence you to be an ungodly man. However, don't blame it all on Jezebel. If you are a real godly man, nobody can make you do wrong, or be scornful, despise someone, treat them unworthy or with rejection. A man is judged by his walk. Many men say they love the Lord, but their talk doesn’t match their walk.
Judas sat with Jesus at the dinner table. Judas traveled with Jesus. Judas stated that he claimed Jesus, bug look at Judas’ walk. He sold Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver. Men, there are men, brothers, Fraternity brothers, Masonic brothers, Elks brothers, alumni brothers, neighborhood brothers, church brothers, blood brothers who will sale you out for a few pieces of silver. Why? Thank you for asking. I’m dying to tell you.
God's covenant with Israel made it clear that He would bless their obedience and judge their disobedience (Lev. 26; Deut. 28). The word "Blessed " is Asher, the name of one of Jacob's sons (Gen. 30:12). It's plural: "O the happinesses! O the blessednesses! The person described here met the conditions and therefore God blessed him. If we want God's blessing, we too, must meet the conditions being true to God's Word, being true God’s men.
This Psalm presents two ways, the way of the blessing, and the way of judgement. Israel had to make a choice. Which God are you going to serve? The God of the Of the ungodly, the Cannanites, the Hittites, the Ammonites, or the God Jehovah- the one who put wet water, brown in dirt, wind in weather, and the flight in the fowl - who are you going to serve? Jesus used a similar image in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Bible history is built around the concept of "two men:" the "first Adam " and the "last Adam" (Romans 5:1, Cor. 15:45)- Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Iassac, Esau and Jacob, David and Saul. Bible history culminates in Christ and the Antichrist. Two men, two ways, two destinies. Psalm 1 is a wisdom psalm and focuses on God's Word, God's blessing on those who obey it and meditate on it, and God's ultimate judgement on those who rebel. That's why I'm glad we have a Father.
In our featured text for the hour who is the ultimate man, the faultless man, who makes no mistakes, who is our Lord, who is our Father? A father is the one who fertilized the seed who causes the process of creating the birth of the seed in the woman’s womb. But more than that, who is the protector, Jehovah Rapha, the provider, the securing factor, the one assured the food and shelter for his family. But this F ather sees to our needs beyond the physical, cause we were on our way to eternal damnation.
This father is our creator, separated darkness from light, placed the Sun in its position among the stars to be our light making day, and hung the moon to be our light by night. Place fish in the sea, and fowl in the air. This father created man and breathe into him the breath of life and man became a living soul, then stated "it's not good for man to be alone, taking a rib from man’s side and creating woman, meaning helpmeet to man.” This father created the first Adam. But, most of all, this father created the second Adam.
Adam born of a virgin, named Mary, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, this Adam told his parent’s “ I must be about my Father’s business. This Adam fed the 5,000 men, not counting the women & children, with two fish and 5 barley loaves. This Adam is God manifested in flesh who came down through 42 generations to save mankind who was doomed for eternity because of the sins of this world. But, because he is the Father, who paid the price and counted the cost but being the perfect sacrifice,
We have been made whole. Thank you, Jesus, for paying the price. Thank you for redeeming us, so we can be adopted and return to our Father, to be privileged to be God men. God bless you all!
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