WEBVTT 00:00:00.110 --> 00:00:02.149 I'm going to invite you to join with me, book 00:00:02.149 --> 00:00:06.669 of Judges chapter 13, verse 8. The word that 00:00:06.669 --> 00:00:08.849 God has placed in my heart today that I believe 00:00:08.849 --> 00:00:12.669 is going to, amen, encourage, celebrate the fathers 00:00:12.669 --> 00:00:16.370 here today. Give you some words of wisdom. And 00:00:16.370 --> 00:00:19.789 also encourage and strengthen the families who 00:00:19.789 --> 00:00:24.510 love them and who want to support spiritual fatherhood 00:00:24.510 --> 00:00:28.050 in the church. And so this is for everyone. There 00:00:28.050 --> 00:00:30.870 are some things that we can. take away the word 00:00:30.870 --> 00:00:33.350 of god says this way in judges chapter 13 and 00:00:33.350 --> 00:00:37.369 verse 8 then manoa prayed to the lord and said 00:00:37.369 --> 00:00:41.950 oh my lord please let the man of god whom you 00:00:41.950 --> 00:00:48.009 sent to us to come to us again and teach us what 00:00:48.009 --> 00:00:53.530 we shall do for the child who will be born and 00:00:53.530 --> 00:00:57.289 god listened to the voice of manoa and the angel 00:00:57.289 --> 00:01:01.100 of god came to the woman again as she was sitting 00:01:01.100 --> 00:01:06.500 in the field but manoa her husband was not with 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:11.140 her then the woman ran in haste and told her 00:01:11.140 --> 00:01:15.840 husband and said to him look the man who came 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:21.400 to me the other day has just now appeared to 00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:28.599 me now skipping to verse 24 it reads so the woman 00:01:28.599 --> 00:01:34.840 bore a son and called his name samson and the 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:39.719 child grew and the lord blessed him let's pray 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:42.099 right now father we love you today we thank you 00:01:42.099 --> 00:01:45.620 for your presence that we feel quite literally 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:50.019 and tangibly here today and we've come to worship 00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:53.620 you primarily god to offer up a sacrifice of 00:01:53.620 --> 00:01:56.859 praise and worship that is do your name but also 00:01:57.310 --> 00:02:00.290 to receive word instruction encouragement for 00:02:00.290 --> 00:02:02.569 our life and i pray god that you would anoint 00:02:02.569 --> 00:02:04.909 the hearing of all that are here today and those 00:02:04.909 --> 00:02:07.290 that are watching or those that will watch god 00:02:07.290 --> 00:02:10.650 so that this word would fall on good ground anoint 00:02:10.650 --> 00:02:13.289 my lips of clay put your word on my mouth god 00:02:13.289 --> 00:02:16.409 that i can speak in a way that will glorify you 00:02:16.409 --> 00:02:21.289 in jesus name everyone say amen i'm going to 00:02:21.289 --> 00:02:23.150 preach today you may be seated on the thought 00:02:23.150 --> 00:02:27.639 fathering the future fathering the future I want 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:30.180 to tell you just a brief story. Before Tiger 00:02:30.180 --> 00:02:34.120 Woods, a name that all of us have heard or familiar 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:37.719 with, became one of the greatest golfers in history, 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:42.319 there was a man who, behind the scenes, was helping 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:48.400 to shape his future. His father, Earl Woods. 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:52.900 Long before Tiger ever won a championship or 00:02:52.900 --> 00:02:58.580 signed an endorsement deal, Earl was training 00:02:58.580 --> 00:03:03.900 Tiger in their home garage. Started teaching 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:08.659 Tiger how to swing a golf club when he was only 00:03:08.659 --> 00:03:14.740 two years old. In fact, he even had some special 00:03:14.740 --> 00:03:18.780 golf clubs custom made for his son so that his 00:03:18.780 --> 00:03:22.000 little hands could wrap around those clubs and 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:27.500 begin to swing. And his dad, Earl, was invested. 00:03:27.699 --> 00:03:32.900 He saw something in his son that his son was 00:03:32.900 --> 00:03:35.580 too young to see in himself. So he invested all 00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:39.419 that time and energy and money, doing everything 00:03:39.419 --> 00:03:45.360 he could to instill this love for the game of 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:49.740 golf in his life. He carefully built up his son's 00:03:49.740 --> 00:03:53.080 physical skills, his mental strength, and he 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:56.729 coached him. He was his personal coach. He gave 00:03:56.729 --> 00:04:01.629 him structure, gave him rules. They both admittedly 00:04:01.629 --> 00:04:04.030 said that he was a little hard on him sometimes, 00:04:04.189 --> 00:04:09.050 but he also gave him room to love the game, gave 00:04:09.050 --> 00:04:12.030 him room to make mistakes, and gave him room 00:04:12.030 --> 00:04:16.769 to grow into his passion and his love for playing 00:04:16.769 --> 00:04:21.550 the game of golf. So Earl saw something in Tiger 00:04:21.550 --> 00:04:24.680 before the whole world saw it. Before the world 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:28.120 could watch and witness greatness on display, 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:32.839 whatever course he was playing in, Earl saw that 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:36.500 greatness and began to prepare him to carry that 00:04:36.500 --> 00:04:40.600 greatness one day. And when his son, Tiger, won 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:44.399 his first Masters at Augusta, he was right there 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:50.199 to celebrate with him. In the side. Waiting to 00:04:50.199 --> 00:04:53.199 embrace him and share this heartwarming moment 00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:56.939 with his son as he achieves something that very, 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:00.100 very few people ever achieve, professional athletes 00:05:00.100 --> 00:05:02.860 in their lifetime, which is to win the Masters. 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:08.319 You know, if you have any, if you got a heart, 00:05:08.379 --> 00:05:10.100 I should say, if you have, if there's a tender 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:12.120 spot in you, you can't look at a picture like 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:15.639 this and not feel something, not feel some warmth 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:19.680 and something good when you see father and son 00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:23.000 embracing each other the way that they did. And 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:25.879 I can imagine that as that Earl was hugging his 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:28.240 son in that moment, maybe he was thinking about 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:32.480 all those moments, the years, the... childhood 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:35.920 of his son, all the time that he spent training 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:39.579 him, preparing him, equipping him, coaching him 00:05:39.579 --> 00:05:43.379 for that day. And so even though Earl wasn't 00:05:43.379 --> 00:05:46.720 the one who putted in the final putt there on 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:49.519 the green, I think he was living through his 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:52.939 son and sharing that moment with him. Say, it 00:05:52.939 --> 00:05:55.439 may not be me in there, but a part of me feels 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:58.759 like I was there because I was a part of that 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:02.490 journey with him. What a special moment. What 00:06:02.490 --> 00:06:04.490 a special moment. And to every father here today, 00:06:04.550 --> 00:06:07.029 these are the moments I think we live for. To 00:06:07.029 --> 00:06:11.509 not only the fathering, the training, the upbringing, 00:06:11.529 --> 00:06:14.430 the raising, but also the celebration and the 00:06:14.430 --> 00:06:18.170 reward of seeing what God does in the life of 00:06:18.170 --> 00:06:21.189 your children. And like Earl, there is a similar 00:06:21.189 --> 00:06:25.589 kind of vision and effort we see in the lesser 00:06:25.589 --> 00:06:29.709 known story of a man named Manoah. He was the 00:06:29.709 --> 00:06:34.740 father. Now, Samson, of course, is remembered 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:37.819 and celebrated for his strength and the great 00:06:37.819 --> 00:06:41.879 feats and exploits that he did with the supernatural 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:45.759 strength that God gave him to overcome and to 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:50.680 help deliver Israel time and again. And so all 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:54.019 the highlights and all of the recognition tends 00:06:54.019 --> 00:06:58.379 to go to Samson, right, because he was victorious 00:06:58.379 --> 00:07:02.889 in battle. much like Tiger Woods, right? He was 00:07:02.889 --> 00:07:05.889 a champion on the field. But I want you to know 00:07:05.889 --> 00:07:09.230 that there would have never been a Samson had 00:07:09.230 --> 00:07:12.689 there not been a Manoah, had there not been a 00:07:12.689 --> 00:07:17.629 father who was discerning and open and receptive 00:07:17.629 --> 00:07:21.629 to God's instruction upon his life and the role 00:07:21.629 --> 00:07:25.089 that he was going to play in shaping and fathering 00:07:25.089 --> 00:07:28.449 the future of his son. And so fathers today, 00:07:28.569 --> 00:07:32.060 or for those who, maybe a father one day, or 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:34.639 if you love your father, then this is God's word 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:37.519 for us today about fathering the future. I want 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:40.819 to highlight a man who stands in the background, 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:44.300 in the corner of the ring, coaching in the shadows, 00:07:44.579 --> 00:07:49.480 but yet also participating and experiencing the 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:52.639 victory together with his children. And as we'll 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:55.180 discover today, Manoah was a man who feared the 00:07:55.180 --> 00:07:58.600 Lord. Manoah was a man who recognized God's voice 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:01.920 in his life. He was a man of prayer, a man of 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:06.060 worship, and of great faith. So I want us today 00:08:06.060 --> 00:08:08.920 for just a few moments, because I know I'm the 00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:11.160 only thing standing between you and that great 00:08:11.160 --> 00:08:14.000 meal you're about to have. So just let me borrow 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:17.040 a few moments of your time and look at this man 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:21.540 and the types of things that he did. And I want 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:24.600 to, before we get into the particulars, understand 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:29.139 the climate, lest we think that Manoah was given, 00:08:29.769 --> 00:08:32.929 a silver platter lest we think that well he's 00:08:32.929 --> 00:08:35.149 in the bible so he probably had it all figured 00:08:35.149 --> 00:08:38.169 out probably the landscape the table was prepared 00:08:38.169 --> 00:08:42.649 but the bible gives us a very very stark and 00:08:42.649 --> 00:08:47.350 a dark picture of the times it opens up in judges 00:08:47.350 --> 00:08:50.149 chapter 13 with a familiar line that says and 00:08:50.149 --> 00:08:52.889 the children of israel did evil again in the 00:08:52.889 --> 00:08:56.070 sight of the lord so it was their pattern the 00:08:56.070 --> 00:09:00.200 children of israel at this time to receive God's 00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:03.539 blessing, and then to forget about God and to 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:06.539 fall into idolatry and sin, and then God would 00:09:06.539 --> 00:09:08.980 deliver them into the hands of the enemies, then 00:09:08.980 --> 00:09:12.080 they would be persecuted, cry out to the Lord, 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:15.340 God would deliver them, and rinse, recycle, and 00:09:15.340 --> 00:09:17.460 repeat. This process would happen over and over 00:09:17.460 --> 00:09:19.320 again. And this is one of those times. It was 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:22.159 a dark period, a period of moral decline, of 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:27.059 spiritual confusion and moral ambiguity and oppression. 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:30.240 And yet in the midst of that mess, in the midst 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:34.240 of this dark time, God gave Manoah and his wife 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:37.860 a prophetic word that their son, who would be 00:09:37.860 --> 00:09:42.320 Samson, would help deliver Israel. And so what 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:44.620 this meant is that Manoah and his family would 00:09:44.620 --> 00:09:47.659 be different. The word that God gave them was 00:09:47.659 --> 00:09:50.899 that you're not going to be able to raise your 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:54.139 son any way you want. You're not going to be 00:09:54.139 --> 00:09:57.279 able to raise your family in... And run your 00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:59.820 home the way that everyone else does, Manoah, 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:03.759 because your child is destined for greatness. 00:10:04.340 --> 00:10:08.580 Somebody say amen. Your child is destined to 00:10:08.580 --> 00:10:12.799 change the world. So, Manoah, whatever life you 00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:16.039 were living, whatever plan you had, whatever 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:20.379 thoughts about your future you had and your way 00:10:20.379 --> 00:10:23.820 of doing things, is all about to change because 00:10:23.820 --> 00:10:28.120 I have given you this precious, privileged responsibility 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:33.980 to raise up this boy in my way so that he can 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:38.799 be a deliverer for God's people. But it's important 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:42.460 for us to see that the climate at that time did 00:10:42.460 --> 00:10:47.460 not negate or did not dismiss Manoah from his 00:10:47.460 --> 00:10:50.649 calling and his life. Let me pause and say this, 00:10:50.789 --> 00:10:54.870 that there's no such thing as an ideal time to 00:10:54.870 --> 00:10:58.090 live for God. There's no such thing as an ideal 00:10:58.090 --> 00:11:02.370 time to raise your family. There's no such thing 00:11:02.370 --> 00:11:06.129 as an ideal time to raise kids. There's no such 00:11:06.129 --> 00:11:10.129 thing as a perfect time or as an opportune time 00:11:10.129 --> 00:11:13.990 to do these things. The way the world is today, 00:11:14.210 --> 00:11:17.940 much like it was in the time of Noah, of... Confusion 00:11:17.940 --> 00:11:21.379 and moral decline and oppression and all of the 00:11:21.379 --> 00:11:23.639 forces that were working against the people of 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:26.840 God exist today. So we're living in very similar 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:30.779 times and perilous times, yet we should not be 00:11:30.779 --> 00:11:34.190 afraid of that. Because God... has called us 00:11:34.190 --> 00:11:37.090 in the same way that he called Manoah, that despite 00:11:37.090 --> 00:11:40.230 what's going on around you, despite the world 00:11:40.230 --> 00:11:44.129 and its problems and the confusion that is there, 00:11:44.190 --> 00:11:46.990 despite all of those things, Manoah, I have still 00:11:46.990 --> 00:11:49.450 called you, and I'm going to give you everything 00:11:49.450 --> 00:11:53.230 you need to be successful in order to raise your 00:11:53.230 --> 00:11:56.529 family in the fear of God and to see a great 00:11:56.529 --> 00:11:59.710 victory in your life. Don't let anybody tell 00:11:59.710 --> 00:12:02.309 you, well, times are different and times have 00:12:02.309 --> 00:12:04.450 changed. they have, and things are getting worse, 00:12:04.529 --> 00:12:07.990 but don't let anybody convince you or cause you 00:12:07.990 --> 00:12:10.710 to think that because of the climate and because 00:12:10.710 --> 00:12:13.210 of how bad things are that we ought to just, 00:12:13.230 --> 00:12:15.750 you know, move a few inches this way or bend 00:12:15.750 --> 00:12:18.210 a little that way or give in here or give in 00:12:18.210 --> 00:12:21.789 there. No, I have come to thank God that in this 00:12:21.789 --> 00:12:24.309 house today there are men of God, and there's 00:12:24.309 --> 00:12:26.710 women of God today too, that are willing to stand 00:12:26.710 --> 00:12:28.870 up for the Lord, that are willing to stand upon 00:12:28.870 --> 00:12:31.789 the Word of God and say in such a time as this, 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:35.320 We can be faithful unto the Lord. Amen. Somebody 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:42.580 give God some praise today. No matter what's 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:45.039 going on on the outside, that's not an excuse. 00:12:45.159 --> 00:12:47.740 We have a calling from the Lord, and God has 00:12:47.740 --> 00:12:50.259 chosen us and given us this responsibility, and 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:52.720 we don't take it lightly. So I celebrate you, 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:56.000 you men and you fathers here today. If you're 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:57.820 here today, you're a good father. Hallelujah. 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:00.799 You came to the right place. You're in the right 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:03.360 place with the right God, and I celebrate you, 00:13:03.419 --> 00:13:05.360 and we honor you. And why don't we all right 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:08.159 now just clap one more time for our fathers. 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:13.799 Amen. We don't always get it right, you know. 00:13:14.779 --> 00:13:16.679 We don't always get it right. Our fathers are 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:20.639 human. Amen. Can the father say amen, huh? We're 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:23.460 human. We're going to make mistakes. But you 00:13:23.460 --> 00:13:26.360 know what? As long as when we fall, we fall forward. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:31.379 And we fall into the arms of God. I tell you 00:13:31.379 --> 00:13:33.639 what, if I fail, I'd rather fail in church than 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:36.299 fail in the world. Because then there is grace 00:13:36.299 --> 00:13:38.799 and there's mercy and there's a word that God 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:41.580 has. I can get back up again. Hallelujah. A righteous 00:13:41.580 --> 00:13:44.620 man can fall seven times and get back up again. 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:49.419 Hallelujah. But we're not perfect. And neither 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:53.519 was this man, Manoah. He wasn't perfect. And 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:56.659 the first step that he takes is one that is hard 00:13:56.659 --> 00:14:00.019 sometimes for everybody, but maybe more so men 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:03.929 and fathers, which is to admit. Now, we don't 00:14:03.929 --> 00:14:08.009 have all the answers. And point number one is 00:14:08.009 --> 00:14:11.769 to seek the right guidance. What I love about 00:14:11.769 --> 00:14:15.110 Manoah is upon hearing the word of the Lord, 00:14:15.210 --> 00:14:18.230 the promise of God to raise up this deliverer, 00:14:18.230 --> 00:14:21.929 this man of strength, he doesn't take that word 00:14:21.929 --> 00:14:26.809 and start to think of himself higher than he 00:14:26.809 --> 00:14:29.690 ought. He doesn't say, wow, I must be like something 00:14:29.690 --> 00:14:32.879 real special that, you know, like. man, I must 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:36.720 be better than everybody else. He doesn't take 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:38.580 the wrong approach. In fact, the first thing 00:14:38.580 --> 00:14:43.379 he does is recognize through humility that I 00:14:43.379 --> 00:14:46.220 don't have all the answers. And I think it takes 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:50.139 a lot of humility, swallowing of our pride, to 00:14:50.139 --> 00:14:53.940 say like Manoah did in verse 8, when he prays 00:14:53.940 --> 00:14:57.620 to the Lord and says, oh, my Lord. Watch these 00:14:57.620 --> 00:15:00.710 words, church. He says, oh, my Lord. He says, 00:15:00.789 --> 00:15:02.929 please, let the man of God you said to me come 00:15:02.929 --> 00:15:08.769 again and teach us. He says, teach us what we 00:15:08.769 --> 00:15:13.649 shall do for the child. You see, the only thing 00:15:13.649 --> 00:15:18.389 that can stop us from seeking or receiving help 00:15:18.389 --> 00:15:23.950 is not Satan. It's not the world. The only thing 00:15:23.950 --> 00:15:26.789 that can stop us from receiving help or seeking 00:15:26.789 --> 00:15:31.340 help is our own egos. It's our own pride. That's 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:33.799 it. That's the only thing that can stop us from 00:15:33.799 --> 00:15:36.980 receiving the help that we need. And so what 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:39.940 I love about Manoah is from the get -go, from 00:15:39.940 --> 00:15:45.580 the onset, he says, whoa, this is big. God, I 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:49.440 don't know what I did to earn or to qualify. 00:15:49.940 --> 00:15:52.539 He probably didn't feel qualified to do it, to 00:15:52.539 --> 00:15:56.360 raise up this world changer, but this is big. 00:15:57.189 --> 00:16:01.029 So rather than just assume that I know what to 00:16:01.029 --> 00:16:03.950 do and just march out there, I need to pause 00:16:03.950 --> 00:16:07.049 here and tell you, Lord, I don't have it all 00:16:07.049 --> 00:16:11.309 figured out. I need your help. And so Manoah, 00:16:11.350 --> 00:16:15.110 he checks his ego out the door, and he admits 00:16:15.110 --> 00:16:17.730 to the Lord. He said, I don't know how to do 00:16:17.730 --> 00:16:21.750 this. I want to do it. I'm happy to receive this. 00:16:22.220 --> 00:16:24.820 calling on my life to raise this child away. 00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:27.340 But, God, I've got to admit to you, I don't have 00:16:27.340 --> 00:16:31.080 it all figured out. I don't have it all figured 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:33.399 out, and so I don't want to be wise in my own 00:16:33.399 --> 00:16:37.220 eyes. And so, Lord, teach me. Teach me, God, 00:16:37.340 --> 00:16:41.879 so that I can be prepared to train my son for 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:45.659 his future. Let me tell you the two most powerful 00:16:45.659 --> 00:16:49.419 words you could ever pray. The two most powerful 00:16:49.419 --> 00:16:53.590 words you can pray are, Teach me. Someone say, 00:16:53.769 --> 00:16:57.169 teach me. Oh, I'm here to help somebody today. 00:16:57.470 --> 00:17:01.009 The two most powerful words is not bless me. 00:17:01.370 --> 00:17:03.610 I know some of you think that's what it is. It's 00:17:03.610 --> 00:17:07.549 not bless. It's not even use me. It's not prosper 00:17:07.549 --> 00:17:11.369 me. It's not elevate me. It's not promote me. 00:17:11.549 --> 00:17:15.630 It's not give me. The two most powerful words 00:17:15.630 --> 00:17:18.650 that will unlock every window and every other 00:17:18.650 --> 00:17:24.339 blessing in your life is Lord. Teach me. Because 00:17:24.339 --> 00:17:28.440 if I am teachable as a man of God, as a woman 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:31.980 of God, if I'm teachable, then I am reachable. 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:37.140 The people who are not reachable are those who 00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:40.599 are not teachable. It doesn't matter where you 00:17:40.599 --> 00:17:43.160 are. The word can't reach you if the word can't 00:17:43.160 --> 00:17:46.380 teach you. And if you ever get to a place where 00:17:46.380 --> 00:17:49.059 you can't be taught anymore, can't be taught 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:51.599 by the pastor, can't be taught by a man or a 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:54.079 woman of God or a mentor, I'm no longer teachable. 00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:57.720 You are now shortening your possibility. You 00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:01.180 are now dwarfing the potential and limiting what 00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:03.980 God can do in your life. But Manoah said, this 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:07.900 assignment is so big, Lord, I need you to teach 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:13.240 me so that I can do it the right way, God. Teach 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:17.269 me. And I love this because Manoah was teachable. 00:18:18.369 --> 00:18:20.970 And we cannot demand of our families, of our 00:18:20.970 --> 00:18:23.069 children, what we ourselves are not willing to 00:18:23.069 --> 00:18:26.730 do. I want to have teachable children. And so 00:18:26.730 --> 00:18:29.430 if I want teachable children, then I need to 00:18:29.430 --> 00:18:34.710 be teachable myself. Amen. And so Manoah, he's 00:18:34.710 --> 00:18:38.559 teachable. He had the right attitude. And so 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:41.980 I encourage and I thank all. I celebrate the 00:18:41.980 --> 00:18:44.240 men here today, the fathers that are here, the 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:45.960 fathers that are watching or those that maybe 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:49.059 couldn't make it. I celebrate them because something 00:18:49.059 --> 00:18:52.140 tells me you're teachable. You're saying, I'm 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:55.019 not above instruction. I'm not above correction. 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:58.240 I'm not above teaching. I'm not above the word 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:01.599 of God. I'm not above authority. I can let God 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:06.630 teach me, Lord. And if we can be teachable, then 00:19:06.630 --> 00:19:09.230 we are reachable. And this is what God wants 00:19:09.230 --> 00:19:12.329 to do in all of our lives. Amen. And so there's 00:19:12.329 --> 00:19:14.309 more I can say. He listened to the rights. He 00:19:14.309 --> 00:19:17.430 had the right attitude. He was willing to listen 00:19:17.430 --> 00:19:19.930 to some very important voices in his life. Can 00:19:19.930 --> 00:19:21.730 I tell you one of the first important voices 00:19:21.730 --> 00:19:24.930 that Manoah was listening to that is the key 00:19:24.930 --> 00:19:28.069 for all of us men here today? He listened to 00:19:28.069 --> 00:19:32.849 his wife. Hallelujah. He listened to his wife. 00:19:34.039 --> 00:19:37.559 Watch what happened in verse 6. This was the 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:41.539 first source. God was speaking to him through 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:46.220 his wife. Look what he said. So the woman came 00:19:46.220 --> 00:19:49.700 and told her husband, saying, a man of God came 00:19:49.700 --> 00:19:52.059 to me, and his countenance was like the countenance 00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:55.160 of the angel of God. Now, I don't mean to hurt 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:57.279 anybody's feelings here today, but don't you 00:19:57.279 --> 00:19:59.200 think it's kind of interesting that the angel 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:01.220 didn't show up to Manoah, but it showed up to 00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:07.119 his wife? Sometimes, this is just like free advice 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:08.779 I'm going to hand out to you right now. Amen. 00:20:09.619 --> 00:20:11.680 Some of you that are not married yet, you know, 00:20:11.700 --> 00:20:16.099 this is like free advice. Amen. God spoke and 00:20:16.099 --> 00:20:18.200 showed something to his wife that he himself 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:22.059 had an experience. Amen. But obviously there 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:24.259 was a trust there. There was a maturity there. 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:28.500 So God spoke to his wife. But imagine if Manoah 00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:31.200 had dismissed what she said. Like, you know, 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:34.200 you don't know what you're talking about. Or 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:36.519 imagine if he had just, you know, put it on the 00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:39.920 back burner. Imagine if he just ignored the word 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:43.059 that his wife had received as she had this encounter. 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:46.890 But God... touched her, and this is, I think, 00:20:46.890 --> 00:20:49.930 the key for us today, whether it can be your 00:20:49.930 --> 00:20:51.430 wife or someone else in your life. Sometimes 00:20:51.430 --> 00:20:54.450 God will show them something, and then we have 00:20:54.450 --> 00:20:57.549 to be sensitive enough and humble enough to say, 00:20:57.650 --> 00:20:58.990 you know, there have been many times when my 00:20:58.990 --> 00:21:01.809 wife is speaking to me, and I'm like, man, that's 00:21:01.809 --> 00:21:04.769 the word of the Lord right there. Amen, somebody. 00:21:05.049 --> 00:21:08.930 Hallelujah. That's the way I thank God. My wife's 00:21:08.930 --> 00:21:11.579 a praying woman. Amen. Because sometimes, you 00:21:11.579 --> 00:21:13.180 know, there's some things I don't see and she 00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:16.299 points it out to me. Man, thank the Lord. Amen. 00:21:16.460 --> 00:21:22.740 Somebody say amen today. So he was open. He wasn't 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:26.460 closed to her feedback. Amen. That's powerful. 00:21:27.339 --> 00:21:29.380 There's more I can say on that. He was also open 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:31.359 when the angel of the Lord came back and brought 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:33.640 this message again. The second thing I want to 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:36.940 celebrate and point out today is to stay spiritually 00:21:36.940 --> 00:21:41.470 active. Stay spiritually active. Amen. Somebody 00:21:41.470 --> 00:21:46.690 say amen. When the angel returned and confirmed 00:21:46.690 --> 00:21:50.230 the word, which he did, Manoah didn't just nod 00:21:50.230 --> 00:21:55.309 his head and go about business as usual. He didn't 00:21:55.309 --> 00:21:57.650 just treat it like another moment. He didn't 00:21:57.650 --> 00:22:01.130 just act as if though this was just another day 00:22:01.130 --> 00:22:05.980 on the calendar. But he responded. And I want 00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:07.900 you just for a few more moments, I won't be much 00:22:07.900 --> 00:22:09.799 longer, but just for a few more moments, just 00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:14.160 show you and reveal to you the power of Manoah's 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:17.859 response. Because this is the key. This is it. 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:20.119 It's all going to boil down to this right here. 00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:27.000 He responded by preparing something meaningful 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:30.619 to the Lord. In verse 19, it records what he 00:22:30.619 --> 00:22:33.900 did. He prepared a meaningful offering to the 00:22:33.900 --> 00:22:38.180 Lord. So Manoah took the young goat, which was 00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:42.900 costly. He didn't get an old goat that was ready 00:22:42.900 --> 00:22:47.000 to die, you know, a sick goat, but a young, vibrant 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:50.000 goat. In other words, he brought something in 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:55.319 its early, strong stage with a grain offering 00:22:55.319 --> 00:23:01.180 and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. So 00:23:01.180 --> 00:23:05.039 Manoah hears the word of God. Upon his life, 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:08.119 a promise. I'm going to raise up a deliverer. 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:12.019 You're raising up a world changer. Your family's 00:23:12.019 --> 00:23:14.599 different. This is a holy thing that I'm doing. 00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:19.859 And in response to that, Manoah prepares a sufficient 00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:25.779 offering, a meaningful, sacrificial gift to God. 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:29.640 And to me, this says a lot about the kind of 00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:33.819 man that he was. and the kind of example that 00:23:33.819 --> 00:23:36.400 he wanted to leave his children, and also the 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:39.680 heart, the gratitude that he had for what God 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:43.619 was doing in his life, probably feeling unqualified 00:23:43.619 --> 00:23:47.720 and undeserving of this moment, of this responsibility, 00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:52.339 of this calling, but not overlooking all of that. 00:23:52.759 --> 00:23:56.380 He goes a step beyond, and he prepares a meaningful, 00:23:56.680 --> 00:24:00.099 sacrificial gift to the Lord. And this, what 00:24:00.099 --> 00:24:01.859 we're looking at here today, church, in this 00:24:01.859 --> 00:24:07.000 scene, this is all an act of worship. He begins 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:09.940 to worship the Lord. This is what Old Testament 00:24:09.940 --> 00:24:14.119 worship looks like. It involves sacrifice. bloodshed 00:24:14.119 --> 00:24:17.039 of an animal or a grain offering. Well, he does 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:19.880 both. He's like, I'm not going to cut any corners 00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:22.880 here. I'm going to make sure that I have dotted 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:25.799 every I and crossed every T, so I'm going to 00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:28.259 offer up both. Maybe just a grain offering would 00:24:28.259 --> 00:24:30.259 have been good enough or just an animal side. 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:32.240 But he said, I'm going to put everything up. 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:36.180 I'm just going to just empty myself of everything 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:39.180 I've got and put it before the Lord. And he began 00:24:39.180 --> 00:24:41.799 to worship him. Let me tell you what the secret 00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:45.839 is today. In order to father the future and to 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:50.079 continue on into the perpetual blessings and 00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:53.400 the promises of God is that we might be true 00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:57.900 worshipers. Amen, somebody. But worship is not 00:24:57.900 --> 00:25:02.559 worship until it costs you something. Manoah 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:06.319 did not offer up a cheap praise. Come on now. 00:25:06.380 --> 00:25:09.579 Hallelujah. He did not offer up a cheap worship. 00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:13.509 He did not offer up a... Little, you know, religious 00:25:13.509 --> 00:25:16.309 little Sunday afternoons, kind of a sanctimonious. 00:25:16.309 --> 00:25:19.170 But he offered up something that cost himself. 00:25:19.329 --> 00:25:22.829 He was willing to lay something down. Oh, hallelujah. 00:25:22.829 --> 00:25:26.630 You know what he did? He built an altar unto 00:25:26.630 --> 00:25:29.890 the Lord. And I want to thank God because there 00:25:29.890 --> 00:25:32.690 are men. in this place today. There are fathers 00:25:32.690 --> 00:25:35.650 and grandfathers here today that have taken the 00:25:35.650 --> 00:25:39.549 time to establish an altar in your family, in 00:25:39.549 --> 00:25:43.029 your marriage, in your home. And I thank God 00:25:43.029 --> 00:25:46.170 because that altar is where the blessings and 00:25:46.170 --> 00:25:49.430 the goodness and the power of God is going to 00:25:49.430 --> 00:25:52.049 flow through. But it's got to mean something 00:25:52.049 --> 00:25:55.369 to us. It's got to be a true act of worship. 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:57.759 worship. I wonder if somebody today can just 00:25:57.759 --> 00:26:01.319 worship the Lord for about a moment today. Hallelujah. 00:26:02.039 --> 00:26:08.319 God, I worship you. I thank you today, God. I 00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:13.599 worship you. And so he offers this. He offers 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:16.259 this as the musicians prepare themselves. He 00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:21.740 offers this sacrifice to the Lord. And it cost 00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:26.349 him. It cost him. I don't know if Manoah was 00:26:26.349 --> 00:26:27.769 a wealthy man. The Bible doesn't tell us how 00:26:27.769 --> 00:26:31.049 wealthy he is. But he had something to give. 00:26:31.230 --> 00:26:33.589 You know, God has given us, every one of us, 00:26:33.609 --> 00:26:38.450 something to give. And he says, this is all I 00:26:38.450 --> 00:26:41.529 got, God, but I'm going to give it to you. And 00:26:41.529 --> 00:26:44.329 it was that sacrifice that began to touch the 00:26:44.329 --> 00:26:47.299 heart of God. Hallelujah. I feel the presence 00:26:47.299 --> 00:26:50.660 of the Lord in this place today. He was thankful 00:26:50.660 --> 00:26:53.819 because he felt honored. God, you could have 00:26:53.819 --> 00:26:56.940 chose anybody else, but you chose me. You could 00:26:56.940 --> 00:26:58.940 have put anybody else in this home, but you put 00:26:58.940 --> 00:27:02.339 me. Oh, it's a privilege. Fathers, it's a privilege 00:27:02.339 --> 00:27:05.759 to be the fathers of our children. It's a blessing 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:10.460 that God would entrust us and enable us to play 00:27:10.460 --> 00:27:14.339 a part in the raising up of his children in our 00:27:14.339 --> 00:27:16.400 life. Because at the end of the day, they don't 00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:19.480 even belong to us. They belong to the Lord. Hallelujah. 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:22.980 They are a heritage of the Lord. And so he's 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:25.400 held on. And he said, I'm going to give everything. 00:27:25.609 --> 00:27:29.589 I have to him because he is worthy. And so every 00:27:29.589 --> 00:27:31.630 time we come into the house of the Lord, not 00:27:31.630 --> 00:27:34.089 just here, but at home and wherever we're at, 00:27:34.190 --> 00:27:36.769 let us demonstrate to our children the sacrifice 00:27:36.769 --> 00:27:40.230 of praise and worship. Hallelujah. But even more 00:27:40.230 --> 00:27:42.849 so when we come into the house of the Lord, let 00:27:42.849 --> 00:27:45.569 us come into his presence with singing. Let us 00:27:45.569 --> 00:27:47.970 come into his presence with dancing. Let us come 00:27:47.970 --> 00:27:50.529 into his presence with thanksgiving. Let us come 00:27:50.529 --> 00:27:53.509 into his presence lifting up our hands. Oh! lifting 00:27:53.509 --> 00:27:57.049 up holy hands. You read in the word of God when 00:27:57.049 --> 00:28:00.049 the Apostle Paul was instructing Timothy or Peter 00:28:00.049 --> 00:28:02.990 was instructing the church about praise and worship 00:28:02.990 --> 00:28:05.170 in the house of God. There's certain instruction 00:28:05.170 --> 00:28:07.470 he gives to the women and there's others instruction 00:28:07.470 --> 00:28:10.470 he gives to the men. But the singular instruction 00:28:10.470 --> 00:28:13.029 that he gives to men, which includes fathers, 00:28:13.210 --> 00:28:17.210 he says men lifting up holy hands. He doesn't 00:28:17.210 --> 00:28:20.049 tell the women to lift up holy hands. That doesn't 00:28:20.049 --> 00:28:22.049 mean that you are not to lift up holy hands, 00:28:22.210 --> 00:28:25.740 women. women of god's sisters but he instructs 00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:29.640 the men particularly to lift up holy hands and 00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:32.019 so every time we gather together in the presence 00:28:32.019 --> 00:28:35.160 of god god's not just look he's looking for the 00:28:35.160 --> 00:28:39.279 men to lift up their head my god hallelujah to 00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:43.000 lift up their holy hands don't say well brother 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:46.200 i'm doing it in my heart he didn't say lift up 00:28:46.200 --> 00:28:49.339 your heart hands didn't say lift up your spiritual 00:28:49.339 --> 00:28:58.539 hands he said lift up holy hands oh and with 00:28:58.539 --> 00:29:01.619 that comes the blessing of the Lord Fathers, 00:29:01.619 --> 00:29:03.480 I want to encourage you today. Let's be like 00:29:03.480 --> 00:29:05.980 Manoa. Let's offer up to the Lord. Some of you 00:29:05.980 --> 00:29:08.539 have been sacrificing. God sees it and God is 00:29:08.539 --> 00:29:11.279 going to reward you. God is a rewarder of them 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:14.359 that diligently seek him. Oh, hallelujah. God 00:29:14.359 --> 00:29:17.440 is going to reward you whether it's in this life 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:20.619 or the next life. God's going to reward you. 00:29:20.779 --> 00:29:24.720 But if you are fortunate enough like Manoa, watch 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:28.960 what the Lord did in verse 19. As it continues, 00:29:29.119 --> 00:29:33.220 it says he offered up this young goat. He offered 00:29:33.220 --> 00:29:36.359 up upon the rock of the law. Macca preach about 00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:40.059 that rock right there. And he, the Lord, did 00:29:40.059 --> 00:29:44.339 a wondrous thing while Manoa and his wife looked 00:29:44.339 --> 00:29:49.130 on. Other translation says he performed wonders, 00:29:49.289 --> 00:29:53.490 my God, as they looked on. This is how good God 00:29:53.490 --> 00:29:56.869 is, church. God is so good that we will just 00:29:56.869 --> 00:30:00.309 simply render unto him that unrestrained worship 00:30:00.309 --> 00:30:03.529 and praise, thanksgiving and sacrifice and acknowledge 00:30:03.529 --> 00:30:06.089 him in all of our ways. Hallelujah. Walking in 00:30:06.089 --> 00:30:09.750 his fear. We will do those things. Oh, we will 00:30:09.750 --> 00:30:12.809 be like these this couple here. We will just 00:30:12.809 --> 00:30:16.369 stand back. and watch the Lord perform wonders 00:30:16.369 --> 00:30:20.470 in our life. Oh, he began to perform wonders. 00:30:20.589 --> 00:30:22.910 I don't know if there's somebody here today that 00:30:22.910 --> 00:30:26.029 says, I want to see the wonders of God in my 00:30:26.029 --> 00:30:30.029 home, in my family, among my children. Why don't 00:30:30.029 --> 00:30:32.769 you clap your hands and let's give God some praise 00:30:32.769 --> 00:30:39.809 today. We're not just fathering children. We're 00:30:39.809 --> 00:30:43.599 fathering the future. I feel today, is a special 00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:47.319 day because God has a blessing in store for everyone 00:30:47.319 --> 00:30:50.900 today, but especially those fathers who have 00:30:50.900 --> 00:30:53.299 been giving of themselves, who have been working 00:30:53.299 --> 00:30:57.900 those hours, long hours, been putting in the 00:30:57.900 --> 00:31:02.319 work, not only to provide for your family financially, 00:31:02.799 --> 00:31:05.660 but also the spiritual protection that you have 00:31:05.660 --> 00:31:08.920 over your children, over your wife. That is a 00:31:08.920 --> 00:31:12.759 great responsibility. And in a day and age where 00:31:12.759 --> 00:31:17.559 masculinity is under assault and fatherhood is 00:31:17.559 --> 00:31:20.599 under attack, here in the house of God, we celebrate 00:31:20.599 --> 00:31:26.599 it. I said we celebrate it. Don't let their ideas 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:31.619 of toxic, this isn't toxic masculinity. This 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:36.339 is biblical honoring, celebrating that our fathers 00:31:36.339 --> 00:31:39.369 are fathers. That in the church, fathers are 00:31:39.369 --> 00:31:42.650 still fathers. Men are still men. And we thank 00:31:42.650 --> 00:31:43.470 the Lord for that.