Faithbase

Good morning, everyone. How are you guys doing out there today? Wait a minute, I think like a few people over here are awake. I say good morning, everyone. How are you doing? All right, that's a little bit better. My name is Clifford. I am one of the servant leaders here at Heartway. Thank you. And I am so honored and glad to be able to assert, to be able to give the message, I know I couldn't get that out, to be able to share the message with you this morning. And because it's Father's Day, right, so give it up to all the dads in the room. And my dad's here and it's actually his birthday today too, so you guys, you guys, you guys mind if we sing happy birthday to him? All right. Are you ready? All right. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Clifford. Yeah. Happy birthday to you. Whoo! All right. Love you, Dad. So we have a special treat for all the dads out there. We got some popcorn and some root beer. All right. So come on up, kids, and give the dad some popcorn and root beer so you guys can sit back and enjoy the message. And so if you're a father by blood, or if you're a father by adoption, or if you're a father by just mentorship, this is for you. And to all the single moms out there, this message is for you that's doing, all the single moms that have that double duty, this message for you. And happy Father's Day to you as well. All right. The kids are gonna pass out some popcorn. Make sure you guys save me a bag. Bryce, you got my bag later? All right. Save me and a root beer. You're not gonna be a root beer? Okay. All right. Well. Okay. All right. All right. That's what I'm talking about. So when Pastor Danny asked me to share this Sunday's message, I was really excited. Like, I was overwhelmed with joy because it's Father's Day. I'm a father. It just kind of goes, right? So I started to think about what I was going to share and started to pray. And then later in that week, I get this email from Heartway Church, the blast about what's going to happen in the weeks coming. And I see this, join us for Father's Day. That's probably, you know, I've read it, but that's what I'll hear. It's like, join us. It's like, hear the music. But it said, join us for Father's Day for an extra special Sunday sermon. I'm like, who, from me? I was like, all right. No pressure. No pressure. I haven't thought about it anymore after that. Yeah, I really have. So here's what we're gonna do. If you guys feel that this was an extra special message, I want you guys to come up to me. We would love to hear your thoughts. I want to know if it impacted your lives, if you had a Me Too moment. Now, in the same token, if you don't think it was an extra special message, we want to hear your thoughts. But instead of coming up to me after service, just DM me on MySpace, all right? All right. So let's jump right in. I got a question for you guys this morning. Now, this question is one of those questions that you're going to be thinking about now. Maybe when you're walking to the car, or perhaps when you're getting on your knees tonight to pray to give God thanks. This is one of those questions that will continue to play through your mind. That question is, who is God to you? I'll give you a moment. Who is God to you? You see, because I believe there's something to be said about how you resonate with God. I mean, He's known by so many names. He's the King of Kings. He's our Lord and Savior. He's our Redeemer, our Protector, our Provider, our Potter, our Healer. So I ask you again, who is God to you? J.I. Packer wrote, to know God as our Father, our Almighty, loving Father, is the highest, richest, and most rewarding aspect of our relationship with Him. And if you start to think about all the names that He is known by, they start to point to Father, Abba. I mean, because when I hear the term King of Kings, what that says to me is, my daddy better than your daddy, you know, or my dad can beat up your dad, or even our Lord and Savior. Because, you know, if your child falls down, or somebody's bothering them, who comes to the rescue? It's dad, our Redeemer. You always go to dad to help right a wrong. You want dad to be there, or even protector. You know, if the kids is worried about a monster up under the bed or in the closet, what do you tell them? You don't have to worry about that monster. Who's going to protect you? Daddy. Exactly. You got it. Daddy's the provider. He goes out, he works hard to be able to provide for the family. He's also a potter. Because when we've made a mistake, or we seem to be off track, he helps mold us through our life situations to get us back on track. He's also our healer. I mean, because I can't tell you how many boo-boos I've kissed. You know, you give them a kiss, like, it feels better. Now, whether it does or it doesn't, they always say the same thing. Yes, of course, because it's something about daddy's love. Isaiah 64, 8 says, Yet, O Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, you are the potter, we are all the work of your hands. So you have to understand that everything that flows out of God is through the lens of a father. And I would dare to say I can stand up here...well, actually, I can stand up here confidently knowing that he wants to know who he is to you. Because for me, and me being a father, I would want my kids to know who I am to them. And I will hope that if you ever walked up to my kids and asked them who I am, they would tell you that I'm their jungle gym, I'm their horsey, their biggest fan, their supporter, their hand to pick them up when they fall, their you-got-until-the-count-of-three. De otra vez, papi. If all the green goes out there, that means again. Where's Pastor Danny? Mi español está en punto hoy. So, I am whatever they need me to be. And God wants you to understand that he is whatever you need him to be. However you see him is what he will be for you. That is why he's called the great I am. I am the doctor when you need a healing. I am that hug when you're going through some pain. I am that shoulder to cry on. I am the one that will right those wrongs. He is the great I am. You see, he understands what it means to be a father. He's been doing it for so long. He's been helping and taking care of us even when we didn't understand or even can see what he is up to. He understands what it means to be a father. And with me being a father, one thing that I know that he understands is the love between the father and their children is undeniable. I can't tell you about when each of my kids have been born, the love that has transformed me to be the man that I have come to be. And as I start to reflect on all of the things that I want to try to give them as far as words of wisdom, as far as encouragement, all the things you want to try to pour into your kids, they've been teaching me as well. And God has been using them to teach me. You see, in the scriptures, it always talks about God saying you need to be childlike, not childish, but childlike in how we receive him, how we receive and go through trials and tribulations. They have taught me what's important. You see, when I get home from work and get out the car and I start to put the keys in the door, I can hear my kids starting to yell, daddy's home. And I hear it's just like they're running, they're coming to the door. And even sometimes I hear my wife be like, daddy's home, it's time to play. Or at least that's what I'd be wanting her to say. Don't judge me, I ain't the only one. But my kids have also taught me grace and mercy, right? Because when they do something, you know, they don't beat themselves up about what just happened. The next day, they are ready to go. It's a new day. You see, God has told us that you have enough grace and mercy for today, not about what just happened yesterday, 30 minutes ago, or two weeks from now, a year from now. You have enough grace and mercy for today. So let go of all of what just happened and keep going. The other thing I think my kids have taught me is how to forget quickly. Because they could be up there crying, throwing a tantrum, upset, not happy because I didn't give them a lollipop or some gummies. And exactly, and they have lost it. And you're like, calm down, relax. And then the next second, just like that, they're laughing. My wife and I be looking at each other like, they were just crying. But they forget quickly. I remember there's one time I was at work, I was sitting in my office, and all of the things I had been praying about, it seemed like everything that I was praying about was like, nope, nope, nope, nope, and it was just a terrible day. I found myself at my desk, tears running down my face. And I'm crying, and I'm sitting there like, never ask what else. Don't ever ask what else. So I didn't that day. I said, you know, why is this all happening? And then I was like, you know what? You got 20 minutes. You got 20 minutes to get through these tears. You got 20 minutes to have your pity party. You got 20 minutes to get and be okay because you got to keep going. You can't let what just happened stop you in your tracks because then it'll sit on you. You will be paralyzed by what just happened. But give yourself time to grieve. Give yourself time to understand what just transpired and understand that through God, you're going to pick yourself up and you're going to keep going. That's what my kids keep teaching me. See, there's no real secret to how to be a father. It's just not. But I'll tell you this, this is probably the best advice I can give you. Just love them. Love them. Be present and love them. Be there to love them. Don't worry about the things that you want to get for them, that you want to buy for them, the trips you want to take them on. They don't care about none of that, truthfully. Like, they like it, but they care about you. They just want your time. They just want you to be there and just experience everything that's going on in their life at that moment. Now, you may be sitting there like, Cliff, I don't know what that whole daddy, you know, a daddy and a father thing really looks like because I got daddy issues. Now, how many of you guys have and or have had some daddy issues? Right? I'm not the only one. My dad's even here. And he knows I've had some daddy issues. Exactly. So, while I was preparing for this message, I knew the things that I had gone through, right? But I was curious to know how other people have seen their daddy issues. So, I decided to Google, it's a dangerous place, and found some Pinterest, like, quotes and stuff. So, I'm going to put up three of them up here. I'm going to read them to you. It's made me a little sad, but the crazy part is it's true. Some of them are funny to hear, but it's sad because it's true. The first one says, daddy always said that not all people in your life will stay with you. He was right because he was the first to leave. Second one, daddy broke my heart way before any boy or girl had a chance to. And by Ryan Reynolds, the actor, he says, I have daddy issues, so I keep tissues on me at all times. And to all my single moms out there, I can only imagine the things that you may be going through in this. Because if you once have had or still have daddy issues, but now you don't just have daddy issues, you now have baby daddy. Issues, so you're trying to understand how to maneuver through this broken relationship with that other person all the while Understanding what your child is going through because you are still and or have tried to get past those same feelings So if nobody has ever told you to all the single moms out there. I want to tell you today that We see you We see you we see all of the pain that you have gone through the Sacrifices the commitment the late nights the crying all of those things. I just want to let you know that we see you But this is why I'm so glad for this church family right here that we call heart way Because here at heart way We really believe that it takes a community to be able to raise your child and I'm gonna let you know that if I see Your child running through the hallway. I'm gonna pull them aside and be like come here. Let me talk to you for a second You need to get back to class what you're doing because that's what we're supposed to do That's what God has called us to do We are called to be a father to the fatherless that mom that single mom that widow She is not supposed to just go through life come to church sit in this chair And then walk out with her child to get back in that car without anybody coming to just to say that I see you That you are loved. She shouldn't feel like she's just by herself We are the church the church is not this building but it is the body of the church and what do we do if the body if there's a part of the body that's Not working or the part of the body that may be hurting we come together and we help make sure that piece of the body is whole You have to understand that that's what we have been called to do I Remember hearing this story about this little boy He was probably 10 or 11 years old and His mom was being verbally abused by her husband and You know of course the child sees and hears all of these things so one day the mom She's driving the little boy to school drops him off. He gets done with school He gets on the school bus comes in the house Sees his dad sitting in the chair, and he's like where's mom And the dad says she left she don't want me and she don't want you You would think That in moments like this and tragedies that this father will take this time to be able to Reassure his son that everything is going to be okay that he's going to support him and be there through this trial and tribulation of the his mom leaving But that's not what happened What happened was his dad stopped just being a verbal abuser but decided to be a physical abuser beat his son so bad some days that he couldn't even lay on his back or If his favorite football team did not win He would beat his son his beatings got so bad that even one day He broke a plate over his head after breakfast It was just one of those relationships that you try to understand What is happening because he's just a boy he's trying to understand that hey I want my daddy to be what my daddy is supposed to be But see he started to get something birthed down inside of him a dream he started to get something Inside of him that God had placed there He had this gift of music He had this gift that God had placed in his heart to be able to touch the world He would try to share his dreams with his father his father be like You don't chase your dreams. You don't go after that You don't go after that stuff. You go and get a real job. That's what it's about So instead of couraging up his dreams, he was beating down his dreams, but but God God put this dream inside of me so he started playing in a local band and that band started to do well and he started to understand through time that what God was doing through these tests was giving him the greatest testimony in the world and That testimony would go and to touch millions of lives and He wrote this song check out this song I can only imagine But it will be like When I walk By your side I Can only imagine What my eyes will see when your face Is before me I can only imagine Yeah Surrounded by your glory What will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus or in all of you be still? Will I stand in your presence? Or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all I can only imagine I Can only imagine So that was Bart Millard of mercy me. How many of you guys have heard that song before? That song has gone out to touch so many Lives have helped so many people Change their trajectory of their life because of the test that he has gone through The thing that as their maturation of their relationship and he his father Decided to give his life to God and his it started to change but Bart was sitting up there Like what is this? Like what are you trying to do? And so his father's, you know could never Completely write those wrongs, but he could start writing the new chapter of their lives together and What Bart had to start to understand is about how to forgive him Right and a lot of times we are so hung up on the forgiveness is for the other person, but it's not as for you But truthfully, it's also for your kids It's for your relationship with God you see because that hurt that you're holding so close to your heart starts to build up a wall and So your kids love can never Penetrate that wall to ever get to your heart and likewise that love that you have Deep inside of you that love in that heart that you have that you would like to give to them It can never get to the other side It can't penetrate it because you've held that hurt for so long You gotta know that you gotta let that wall be broken down in The same way God cannot fill that heart up With true love that he longs to be able to give you because that wall is blocked. It's already full You can't pour more water into a brand new bottle of water. It can't take anymore. There's no space So you have to understand that as you start to break down that wall and you start to take out that hurt that God Can now come into your life and be everything that he wants to be in your life You may be sitting here like Cliff My earthly dad and I were cool But I have some daddy issues with God You may be feeling like God has let you down or he's allowed a situation to happen and he's never given you an Explanation and you've been in your room and you've been crying out and you're like why? Why would you allow these things to happen to me? I've been praying to you for so long and what God is trying to get you to understand that He is still here for you. He has not Forsaken you again. Everything that he does is through a lens of our father There is nothing here that he hasn't felt That you have gone through there is nothing that you have Experienced in your life that he hasn't been sitting there right there with you. You have to understand that We've been we've been taught that God's angry at us he's mad at us he's disappointed in us It's not the case. I See my kids and I'm not disappointed in them. They may make bad decisions. They may do something wrong, but those are my kids. I Love them to pieces. I love them to the end of the world Is this book that we read to the moon and back and God loves you the same way We have to let go of those daddy issues that we've inherited Those lies that we've been told we have to let them go There's no way that we can move forward if we're being held on Pulling back by these issues that we've inherited We have to see God through the lens of him being our father the same way He sees us through the role of being our father in Jeremiah 319 it says I thought to myself I Would love to treat you as my own children I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land the finest possession in the world I looked forward to your calling me father, and I wanted you never to turn from me in Galatians 4 6 it says and because we are his children God has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts prompting us to call out Abba father So Who you are in God's eyes? No matter what anybody has ever said about you Nobody no matter what you said about yourself God is overjoyed standing with open arms wanting that relationship with you You see because for me I I Have two kids right I think I have a picture of of them That's Bryson Bayer That's my world They are not literally that's my world they those especially that then Okay That little boys me Listen that little boys me all day long. That's my firstborn that little girl y'all pray for me That little girl is special When we get ready, and this is I'm diverting a little bit, but I can sit you know we family I could talk with you so when I get home and our little thing She we like to go to the store together together my wife and my son instead the house And so we'll go to Costco or Publix so when I walk one day We're walking out the door, and she looks at me. She's like Daddy you got to change your shirt I'm like what why she's like That's daddy's work shirt I'm like so she she's like you can't wear daddy's work short shirt. She's too. She understands Daddy's work time and her time. I mean I had already locked the door. We bout to get in the car and She's like you got to change your shirt, I say well, can I just wear this one time she said no I Walk back in the house, and I changed my shirt, so y'all pray for me. I digress though We have this innate desire to know our fathers and to be loved by them our earthly fathers Some of them have fallen short of that some of them have Potentially let us down We've we've had these daddy issues, and I tell you today that you've had them long enough The time has come to let those things go because we have a heavenly father that is wanting that relationship with you For all of the things that you felt like your earthly father wasn't God is standing here saying that I am all of that and more I Want to spend some time with you, and what do we do for the people that mean the most to us? we create time for them, but as Brendan so eloquently put it last week. We can't create time, but we can create space out Of that time to be able to spend with God whether it's 10 15 minutes in the morning whether it's at night Whether it's waking up about 15 minutes early, I know I want to stay in bed and sleep a little bit longer, but get up, give God that time, and see how your relationship will change. What I want you guys to understand today is that you can trust God. You can. You can find strength, you can find courage, you can find hope, you can find confidence in God. As I was going through this message and preparing, I started to realize that I had a confidence issue. When I was in high school, I always had to do things bigger. I had to make all of these things look better than what they were. I was trying to overcompensate in my confidence. I mean, my nickname in high school was Hollywood, because I had to put on a big show. But it was all because I was trying to overcompensate for the confidence that I didn't have. But as I got older and I started to put my roots down deep into God, I can walk with confidence. My wife may say it look like a little arrogance every now and then, but it's confidence, baby. I'm confident in who I am. I'm confident to be able to tell you that I was sitting in my office, tears running down my face, say that with pride. I can tell you that I also am confident to put on pink, and I actually look good in it. Purple? I'm working on it. My wife's trying to get me into some purple. I have a couple shirts that has a little bit blue and purple in there. I'm working my way over there, all right? So like they say, a real man wear pink, I just, now a real man wear purple, huh? All right, we'll see. All right, y'all gonna join me? This man got on purple. That's the real man right there. All right? All right, is that Perry Winkle? No, that's purple. So listen, you can trust in God. Find your identity not in the world, not in Instagram, not in Facebook, not in Twitter, not in LinkedIn, not in Pinterest. You find your identity in God. See him as he has seen you, his masterpiece, his child through the lens of a father. We can go through life in either, we can see God as one characteristic of who he truly is, whether it is the king of kings, the Lord our God, and sometimes we start to see him, but it's like it's distant. It's off in the distance. He's the king of kings over there, but what God is trying to tell you that I'm right here. I am your father. I am what you need. I'm standing right next to you. Just turn towards me and I will guide you through everything that you can possibly. I will make sure that your life is what I have always promised in my word, that it'll be blessed and filled with abundance. Yes, you're gonna go through trials and tribulations. It is part of this deal we call life. It's nothing you can do about it, but you have to understand through those trials and tribulations, there is something he's trying to get to you. He's not just taking something away from you. He's trying to get something to you. So don't just see God as one characteristic, but we can see him for all that he encompasses, our father. Let's pray. Lord, we just wanna thank you for today. Thank you for your love, your strength, your guidance, and all that we do. God, our hearts, Lord, that we may be able to break down those walls, whether it's with you, whether it's with our earthly fathers, allow your love to shine through. Help us to understand that you have never forsaken us. You have never walked away, but you stand here right now wanting that relationship with us. Help us to be able to turn, to take that step, for Lord, you have called us your children. So we stand here and we call you our father. Happy Father's Day, God. Amen. Listen, I love you guys. Thank you so much, and have a great Father's Day to all the fathers out there, and enjoy your Sunday.