Download
A FATHER'S BLESSING

This Father's Day message is designed to give ultimate glory to Jesus Christ and point the congregation to God the Father. It recognizes that while earthly fathers are imperfect, God is the perfect Dad who offers the blessing every person needs.

The Reality of Earthly Fathers and "Daddy Wounds"

  • The Weight of Father's Day: The pastor acknowledges that Father's Day often carries a heavy tone in church. Sermons directed at fathers tend to focus heavily on their responsibilities and shortcomings, in contrast to the praise mothers usually receive.

  • "Daddy Wounds": The pastor explains that both men and women carry "daddy wounds."

    • He shares a personal example of his mother, who became pregnant with his brother at age 14 because a man finally paid attention to her—a direct result of a lacking father figure.

  • Honoring the Imperfect: The pastor shares memories of his own father, who passed away a couple of years prior.

    • The Good: His father was a kind, gentle man and a consistent listening ear to anyone who visited their garage. He was physically present in the home.

    • The Deficiencies: His father was highly passive and rarely spoke to the pastor other than to say "shut up" or "get out." He left all physical discipline to the mother. The pastor describes his father's only form of abuse as "silence"—never knowing where he stood with him. It wasn't until the pastor was 17 that he finally asked his dad if he loved him.

Encountering God the Heavenly Father

  • Finding Completeness: When the pastor met Jesus at 17, God became his ultimate Father. God provided godly men as models to fill the voids left by his earthly father, proving that we are made complete in Christ.

  • Who God Is: God is Sovereign, the Lord, Jah, Jehovah, and the Creator who commands our respect. However, we must also see Him as a gentle shepherd who desires to guide and lead our lives. Grace, mercy, and peace are constantly associated with God the Father in Scripture.

  • A Father's Purpose: Fathers are meant to commission and send their children with a purpose.

    • 2 Timothy 1 is referenced, where the Apostle Paul calls Timothy his "dearly beloved son" and wishes him mercy and peace from God the Father. Paul modeled spiritual fatherhood through discipleship. Every son desperately needs to know they are dearly beloved by their father; without this, they will seek to fill that void in destructive ways.

  • Example of Peace: The pastor shares a story about his daughter, Josie, who took on the heavy burden of caring for her sick grandmother. When the pastor arrived to take over, Josie cried and asked for a hug. She felt instant peace because her father was there to relieve her. God the Father desires to bring this exact type of peace and relief to our lives.

Scripture Focus: The Blessed Man (Psalm 1)

The pastor transitions to Psalm 1:1-2 to illustrate how a child of God is supposed to live and find true happiness, which is spiritual and comes only from being connected to the Heavenly Father.

  • Psalm 1:1: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

    • Where You Walk (Counsel): Walking in the counsel of the ungodly means taking advice from wrong sources like our phones, Google, fake news, or YouTube. We often seek worldly counsel because our earthly fathers were not there to teach us.

    • Where You Stand (Association): Standing in the way of sinners often happens when people have daddy issues or lack a real family; they look for a "gang" or substitute family in the wrong crowd.

    • Where You Sit (Attitude): Sitting in the seat of the scornful means becoming arrogant, rebellious, and scornful of others because you lack true parental authority. A "scornful" person thinks they have all the answers, yet their choices lead them down a path of ruin.

  • Psalm 1:2: "But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

    • Application: The "law" of the Lord is His guidance. To live successfully, we must delight in God's guidance. This involves a deep, day-and-night relationship where we obsess over His Word to learn His mind, not just a quick checkbox routine.

What God the Father Does for Us

  • He Takes Away Our Sin: Referencing Romans 8 and the Psalms ("Blessed is the man whom the Lord will not impute iniquity"), God removes our sinful title when we come to Him, and we become saints and adopted children in His family.

  • He Corrects Us: Referencing Proverbs 3:12 ("He loveth whom he correcteth"), a good father disciplines his children. God corrects us because He delights in us. His correction is an act of love and guidance, not punishment. We should not resist it.

    • Counseling Example: A young woman was told she must choose between her friendship with a negative influence (which kept her in "the seat of the scornful") and her relationship with God. Her refusal to let go of the friendship was leading her to ruin. This illustrates that God will not force you to follow Him, but His guidance is for our ultimate good.

God's Word as a GPS

God's Word is described as a "God's Positioning System" (GPS). Just as a GPS knows your exact location and gives turn-by-turn directions, the Bible reveals where we are in our spiritual lives and shows us the way forward.

  • Who God Is: God knows exactly where we are—spiritually and emotionally—and offers precise guidance for our lives through His Word.

  • How We Are to Live: True Christianity is about actively following the directions God provides in His Word. Discipleship is learning to hear this guidance and pass it on to others.

The True Meaning of "Delight": God Delights in Us

While we are called to delight in God's law, the pastor emphasizes a more profound discovery: God delights in us.

  • Who God Is: God is a Father who takes pleasure in His children. He is not a distant, demanding figure focused only on performance.

    • Numbers 14:8: "If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into this land..."

    • 2 Samuel 22:20: (David speaking) "He delivered me because He delighted in me."

  • The Father Wound and Performance: Many people live with a "daddy wound," feeling they must constantly perform to earn a father's approval.

    • Pastor's Personal Example: The pastor shared his own experience of feeling he had to compete with his athletic older brother for his father's approval and always feeling like he was not a "pleasure" to his father.

    • Counseling Example 1 (Jimmy): A successful pastor broke down in tears at a retreat when an older woman described him as "delightful." He had grown up in a performance-driven home where love was tied to his success in basketball, and he never felt anyone simply took pleasure in him for who he was.

    • Counseling Example 2 (The Student): A college student with a perfect academic record, driven by his surgeon father's demand for excellence, attempted suicide after receiving his first "B." The pressure to be perfect became unbearable.

  • Who I Am: I am delightful to God. This truth is not dependent on my performance, appearance, or past mistakes. If you know Jesus Christ, you are a child of God, and He delights in you.

  • Metaphor of the Lost Fish: The pastor recalls being distracted while fishing with his grandfather, causing him to miss a huge fish. His grandfather called him stupid for being distracted. This story serves as a metaphor for how we can be distracted and miss the great things God has for us, and it illustrates the sting of not being "delighted in."

Main Scripture: The 5 Elements of "The Blessing" (Genesis 27)

The sermon's central text is Genesis 27, which the pastor began exploring after reading the book The Blessing. The interaction between Isaac and Jacob reveals five key components of a biblical blessing, which are as essential to a person's well-being as soil, air, water, and light are to a plant.

  • Context of Genesis 27:

    • An old and blind Isaac wants to give his patriarchal blessing to his oldest son, Esau. He instructs Esau to hunt and prepare a savory meal (Genesis 27:1-4).

    • Rebekah overhears and devises a plan for her favored son, Jacob, to deceive Isaac and steal the blessing (Genesis 27:5-10).

    • Jacob, disguised with animal hair, goes to his father. Isaac is suspicious ("The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau") but is deceived and gives the blessing to Jacob (Genesis 27:22-25).

Key Point 1: A Blessing Is a Meaningful Touch

  • Scriptural Basis: Before giving the blessing, Isaac says, "Come near now and kiss me, my son" (Genesis 27:26).

  • Who God Is: God is a God who touches. He sent Jesus in the flesh to physically be with humanity. Jesus healing the leper shows that God's touch restores and makes whole.

  • How I Am to Live: We need meaningful touches to experience healing. Fathers, in particular, should learn to give secure, loving embraces to their children.

  • Illustrations:

    • Harmful Touch: A boy from an abusive home named Oliver was terrified by a man at camp who used a belt to intimidate students.

    • Healing Touch: As a teen, the pastor's camp counselor pulled him into a firm, prolonged hug, allowing him to cry and experience his first "meaningful touch."

    • When a young girl doesn't receive this from her family, she is vulnerable to seeking it in inappropriate ways, desperate for the touch that feels like love and value.

Key Point 2: A Blessing Is a Spoken Word

  • Scriptural Basis: After smelling his son's clothes, Isaac speaks a powerful blessing: "See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed..." (Genesis 27:27).

  • Who God Is: God speaks blessings over His children, affirming our value through His words.

  • How I Am to Live: We are called to be people who bless others with our words. The saying "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is a lie; verbal and emotional abuse can be profoundly damaging.

  • Illustrations:

    • The Pastor's Pain: The pastor shared his own pain of growing up without a "spoken word" of affirmation from his father, which created a deep need for it.

    • Words of Blessing: An older woman's praise for his sermon and a childhood friend's words ("I'm so proud of who you've become") were deeply encouraging and moving.

Key Point 3: A Blessing Attaches High Value

  • Scriptural Basis: Isaac's blessing attaches high value to his son. Another example is a father calling his son "a donkey crouching between two burdens" (Genesis 49:14). It sounds like an insult but was a word picture attaching high value—meaning the son was strong, stable, and able to carry great weight.

  • Who God Is: God loves us for who we are, not what we do. His love is based on our identity as His children.

  • How I Am to Live: We must love our children for who they are, not what they do. A parent's role is to affirm their child's identity ("You are mine") even in failure.

  • Illustrations:

    • Worksite Story: A comment—"You're the dirtiest guy on the job"—was reframed as evidence of diligence and high value.

    • Father's Letter: The pastor never received this from his father until his brother's life spiraled. His father, who struggled with reading, wrote him a letter that began, "To Mike from a proud dad." The pastor keeps this letter as a representation of the powerful, healing blessing he had longed for.

Key Point 4: A Blessing Pictures a Special Future

  • Biblical Pattern: Blessings project a God-given destiny.

  • Who God Is: God believes in transformation. The "caterpillar-to-butterfly" image underscores His power to change lives and give us a future.

  • How I Am to Live: Help children see beyond their present struggles by setting meaningful goals and reinforcing hope.

Key Point 5: A Blessing Is an Active Commitment

  • Biblical Pattern: The blesser doesn't just speak; he invests time and resources to help the blessed walk into their future.

  • How I Am to Live: Get behind your children's future with time, resources, and advocacy.

  • Illustrations:

    • Uncle Mike's Transformation: A former cocaine addict, after meeting Christ, now sacrificially blesses his nieces with practical help at personal cost.

    • Family Investment: Uncle Mike provides cash for educational needs, investing in a special future (the first master’s degree in the family).

Final Exhortations and Gospel Invitation

  • For Dads: Don’t sink into shame over past failures. Adjust. Confess, repent, and begin blessing your children intentionally today.

  • For All: The church is a vital context for imparting God's blessing, providing meaningful touch and spoken affirmation for those who lacked it at home.

  • The Gospel: The "Good News" is that lasting blessing and true happiness are found only in a relationship with the Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. Without His guidance, you will never experience true blessing. Receive and share it.

  • Core Takeaway: Anchor your identity in God’s Word daily. Let Him define your worth and future, and become a person who blesses others, turning words into action for the flourishing of the next generation.