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Dad Life
Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano Tx! My name is Chris Fluitt.
Happy Father’s Day!
If at all possible, make sure you let your father know they are appreciated today.
The world needs good fathers. The world needs great men. Today I want to tell you about what makes a great man. But first…
We are in the 2nd week of a series called Fierce Love.
Fierce Love
Last week we talked about the fierce love of a warrior. We talked about a love that is willing to fight. Jesus is a warrior and knew when to turn the cheek and when to turn a table.
Fierce and love are not antonyms. These words are not in disagreement, but because of love we must be willing to struggle & fight.
We told you that every warrior needs 3 things…
- Someone to protect.
- A Kingdom to advance.
- A Battle to win.
Today we are going to learn about a love that defends.
A love that defends
Love is meant to fight for the safety of others. Love is meant to protect others from harm.
Love should cause you to protect others physically, emotionally, mentally, & spiritually.
1 Corinthians 13:6-7 (NIV) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love always protects.
-Even when it is not convenient.
-Even when it is costly.
-Even when it is not deserved.
A love that defends
You know how protection and defense works right? Defense is placing yourself between the attacker and the victim.
Love will place itself in harm’s way.. Love will position itself between the attacker and the victim and become an obstacle. Love always protects.
The world needs a love that defends.
-When 25 million people are trapped within human trafficking…
-When 20 million Americans aged 12 & older suffer drug addictions…
-When 821 million people in the world do not have enough to eat… (1 in 9 people)
-When 17 million children become orphans because AIDS has killed their parents in Sub-Saharan Africa…
-When every year over 23,000 children age out of foster care and adoption systems without ever having known a home…
-Over 600,000 babies are aborted every year…
-567,000 homeless people, 171,000 homeless families, 37,000 vetrans 35,000 unaccompanied youth
-Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death… 48,000 in 2018 committed suicide and 1.4 million attempted suicide… 132 suicides a day…
-More than 264 million people are suffering from some form of depression…
This world needs a love that defends. This world needs a love that will position itself. This world needs a love that will become and obstacle for evil.
This news of a love that defends and protects is counter cultural to what the world preaches about love today. The movies, the stories, the art, the music, the narrative of our world tells us that love is about receiving.
Our society preaches that love is receiving
Receiving something… “every kiss begins with Kay” jewelers…
Receiving pleasure and affection… physical and words.
Receiving attention and award… “He said I was ‘hot.’ He must love me.” Sally Field… “You really like me…”
The world tells us that love is about receiving, yet God’s Word tell us that love is really about giving.
God’s Word teaches love is giving
John 3:16 (NIV) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 4:9 (NIV) This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
1 John 4:10 (NIV) This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:11 (NIV) Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV) But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 5:2 (NIV) and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Romans 5:8 (NIV) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus did not come to receive… He came to give. In Love Jesus positioned himself between us and the attacker… Jesus positioned Himself on the cross. Love is all about giving.
Today is Father’s day. The world needs some good men who in love will defend.
2 things make a great man
These 2 things are not just limited to men. Ladies you too will be great if you have these 2 things.
I will also argue that if you have only 1 of these 2 things you will never be great. Are you interested in knowing what these 2 things are?
Kindness & Strength make a great man
This is a really simple concept.
You need a kindness that will cause you to love others and have a motivation that is ruled by love… But you also need a strength that can stand up and fight.
If you have one without the other you will never be great,
-If you have all the kindness to make the world a better place but don’t have the strength to stand up against the attack of evil, then you really only have good intentions. With kindness alone you may become an enabler.
-If you have strength, but lack kindness you may end up an abuser.
If you want to do great things in this world you are going to need kindness & strength. Kindness & Strength are not opposites.
I want to argue today that in love, kindness without strength is not really being kind… enabling is not kind but destructive. In fact the Bible says it is hatred… to spare the rod of correction from your child is to hate your child. (proverbs 3:24) Kindness without strength is not really kind at all.
I want to argue that strength without kindness is not really strong. Using your strength for your own prideful & selfish gain is is what comes natural. Real strength is when displayed when you say no to yourself and choose kindness instead. Using your strength to abuse others and gain for yourself ends up being a weakness.
Fierce Love is found when we have kindness and strength. There is a very Biblical term for when Kindness & Strength come together – Meekness. Meekness is the balance of kindness & strength.
We need some meek dads who are kind and strong. We need some meek families that are kind and strong… a meek church…
We need to be kind enough, loving enough to take an interest in someone’s life.
We need to be strong enough to look people in the eye and become an obstacle to the attack.
Jesus is strong & kind. You might accidentally confuse Jesus as kind and loving but weak and not willing to fight… Check this story out…
Matthew 18:2 (NIV) He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.
Matthew 18:3 (NIV) And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
This story is usually used to paint the picture of… Jesus is good with kids…look how sweet it is for Him to hold a child… This is not untrue… buit there is more to the story…
Matthew 18:6 (NIV) “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Jesus is kind AND STRONG. He throws out a threat here. Just let anyone try… I pity the foo (Mr. T Voice)
Jesus is a defender!
A love that defends
There is a world out there filled with people who need your defense. Sometimes you may need to defend people from themselves.
This is real tricky. I know how to position myself to stand between a victim & an attacker, but where do you stand when the attacker & the victim are the same person?
There are times where you have to look people in the eye and tell them to stop.. tell them that they are destroying themselves.
-It’s not fun… But it is needed.
-It’s not an attempt to control people… but it is an attempt to influence from destroying themselves.
-It does not mean that when you are trying to defend someone from themselves that you yourself are perfect and have it all together.
It means that in your kindness you care.
It means that in your strength you are taking responsibility.
I as a pastor and a father figure have had to sit people down and tell them that they are destroying their marriage, destroying their future, destroying the opportunity that God has given. And you know what… no one has ever stopped me in the conversation and thanked me for using my kindness & strength… no one has ever said “Thank you Pastor, you are absolutely right…
I have been yelled at. I have been attacked. People have even left the church… but do you expect… defenders position themselves in harm’s way.
Defending people will get you hurt… but people are worth it.
You just wait for a time when someone tells you thank you. Thank you for talking sense to me. Thank you for praying for me. Thank you for getting in my face. Thank you for what you said even though at the time I did not want to hear it. Thank you for being a warrior of kindness & strength.
Lord help my kindness never run without strength.
Lord help my strength never run without kindness.
Let this be your prayer.
God wants to provide kindness & strength today. God says this to Paul…
2 Corinthians12:9 But he said to me, `My kindness and strength is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is strong.’
Are there any warriors that want to receive the kindness & strength from the Lord?
Are you a defender? We are about to come ask the Lord to help us be more like Jesus in this area.
I want to tell you one more thing…
You shouldn’t have to defend yourself
I hate that defensive feeling where I feel like I need to defend myself. Maybe someone said something or did something… and now you are in the awkward position of needing to defend yourself.
You should not ever have to do that. The people that love you… the family that loves you… the church that loves you… The God that loves you should come to your defense.
You should not have to defend yourself. Those that love you should surround you and be Your defense.
The people in your life should not have to defend themselves. You should cover them and be their defense.
For sure we need to allow God to be our defense.
Stop trying to defend yourself. Let God be your defense.
Psalm 94:22 (NIV) But the Lord has become my defense, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.