THE GOOD HEARTED FATHER: PASTOR MENSA OTABIL – SPECIAL FATHER’S DAY SUNDAY SERVICE, 20TH JUNE, 2021

SPECIAL FATHER’S DAY SUNDAY SERVICE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)

TOPIC: THE GOOD HEARTED FATHER

DATE: 20TH JUNE, 2021

TEXT: LUKE 15:11-12

Amen! Let’s rise up together, as we make our DECLARATION OF FRUITFULNESS in this Year of Fruitfulness:

Are you ready? Say with me:

The Eternal God is our Refuge. He opens Rivers in desolate Heights.The Lord makes the wilderness a Pool of water.

The LORD God is my Sun and Shield; The LORD gives Grace and Glory.

Therefore, I delight myself in Him. Those who are Planted in the House of the LORD shall be fresh and flourishing.

Though the Earth be shaken; the Name of the Lord is my Strong Tower. By Faith I affirm that: In Christ alone is my Salvation. In Him I live, and move and have my being.

It is written: The Righteous are like trees Planted by the waters; bearing fruits in its Season.

So I boldly declare: As for me, my God has made me EXCEEDINGLY FRUITFUL.

In this Season, my Spirit bears Fruits of Righteousness, my Talents make Way for me. With my hands, I will Plant, I will Build, I will Harvest – Day by Day, Step by Step.

In Jesus’ Name – Amen!

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO ALL FATHERS

Well, ad you know, today is FATHER’S DAY. And so we want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all the Men all over the world who are listening to me or reading this Message on the label of DMC.

Happy Father’s Day to each one of you – Amen!

You know, Father’s Day can be a Mixed Pack to many People.

Recently we had Mother’s Day and there seems to be more enthusiasm for Mothers than for Fathers.

… Whatever the reason is, I will leave it to another discussion.

But for many of us, Father’s Day can be an awkward – For some, it’s a Joyful day.

Sometimes it’s hard, because many of us have father’s who are no longer with us or have Passed on.

Some of us never had a father; to begin with. And many of us were born into absentee father’s home!

But for those of us who have great fathers in our lives; God bless you! And may you continue to cherish the great men that God has Placed in your lives – Amen.

So whatever your relationship with your father; I hope that today, we can all look up to the Father of fathers – Our Heavenly Father, Jehovah God; and in Him, find our Safety and our Gratitude.

Father’s don’t usually get credit for all that they do. I think that the fathers of this era are really working very hard!

A couple of ages ago, fathers were a bit distanced from their family.

But I am seeing more and more fathers becoming very, very involved in their family.

So, for all of you fathers who go out there to work so hard for your children – Congratulations to you!

And as you know, when we talk about fathers, we are not talking only about Biological fathers; we are talking also about Spiritual Fathers and we are talking about Foster father’s, Stepfathers, Uncles, Big Brothers, Mentors, Providers, Trainers – People who Play a fatherhood role in the lives of People.

May God reward your endless, tireless hustles – Amen. And may the Lord cause you to reap abundantly for all that you do – Amen!

So, let’s give all the father’s a mighty clap.

And I mean the Ladies, give the men a mighty clap – You do so well, and we appreciate you!

Well, my Message today is related to Fathers. And I have Titled my Message: THE GOOD HEARTED FATHER.

… A father with a good heart!

And there are many of them – So many of them and a lot of them are listening to me or reading this Message now on the label of DMC: Good h Hearted Men, Good Hearted Fathers!

Jesus told the Story of what we have come to know as: ‘THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON.’

… The Parable shows how God responds to us as the Redeemer.

It’s also sometimes called ‘THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SON.’

And I’m going to base my Message today on that Parable.

So I will read the introduction of that Parable in Luke 15:11-12 (NKJV); and we read these words:

11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons.

12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.

Instead of reading the entire story at once, I will read them.in Portions as they relate to my Message for today.

Just to give you a Background – The father in this Parable had two (2) sons (most of you are familiar with the Story) – And those sons are a Study in contrast or opposite. It’s almost like day and night.

One of the sons turned out to be a wasteful son – We call him ‘the Prodigal Son.’

He is a waster – He wasted his father’s Properties. And the wasteful son is the younger son.

The elder son is the dutiful son. He is close to his father, he makes goods decision, takes good care of his father resources.

The challenge to the father is: HOW DO YOU LOVE THESE CONTRASTING SONS – One a Good boy, the other, not a Good boy

How do we as fathers, love our children?

• Those who are dutiful and those who are wasteful?*
• Those who give us joy, those who give us heartache;
• Those who disappoint us, and those who always live up to expectation.

Sooner or later, our fathers would realised that, sometimes, your children are not the same – There are times that all your children are Good performers. And then there are times that all your children are Bad!

And then there are those times (like in the Story of this Parable) where some of the children are Good, and some of the children are Bad. And you have to deal with all of them at the same time.

So, how does a father respond to that?

… That’s what this Parable is teaching us.

We are going to look at this: “GOOD HEARTED FATHER”; and I’m going to make Eight (8) Observations about him.

And I Pray for every fathers, that God will help us to inculcate these Attributes into our lives – Amen.

And the mothers who are listening in to this conversation or reading now on the Label of DMC, that you will also learn how to be Good Mothers in the Process – Amen.

Although this Message is not for you! You are just distant observers and you are listening to the gossips behind the window (between men) – You can learn something too, women.

Interestingly, in this Parable, there is no mention made of the mother. So we don’t know where the mother is, when all of this is going on but it’s about the father!

1. The first (1st) thing we noticed about the “Good Hearted Father” is that: HE PROVIDES FOR HIS CHILDREN AND BUILDS AN INHERITANCE FOR THEM.

Luke 15:12 says: “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the Portion of Goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.”

I want you to notice that the division of the Livelihood was not only to the younger son, but also to the Older son – The Older son has his Inheritance, and the younger son had his Inheritance. “

… He divided to them his Livelihood.”

So, this father was a hard-working father. He was a Prosperous Business Owner, with a lot of Goods. And it is obvious that the children were aware of what the father had.

And Probably, in conversation with the children, he had made them aware that whatever he had belonged to them. Because, if they didn’t have this sense of assurance, the younger wouldn’t have demanded for his Portion.

So, the father Provided for his children, built an Inheritance for them and assured them that: ‘what he had, belong to them.’

Each father (of us) must learn from this father – To Provide according to our Abilities for our children.

So, this man had a heart for his children’s Security. He was intent that the future of his children would be right.

… That’s the first (1st) thing we see about this father!

2. The Second (2nd) thing we see is that: THIS FATHER TRUST HIS ADULT CHILDREN TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.

Luke 15:13 – “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far Country, and there wasted his Possessions with Prodigal Living.”

This is one of the most difficult thing for a father to do – Very difficult! He gave the younger child want he asked and he knew the risk involved.

What do you do as a father, when your child makes a Choice that you know is not in their best Interest?

… And every parent faces this dilemma.

I. There is a time when a Parent dictates to his children – That is at the childhood Stage. You dictate to them: do this, do that, and they comply.

II. Then there is a time when the Parent overrules the child – That is the adolescence.

At that time they are not waiting for instructions; they are making decisions out of their own Mind.

… But they are still under your roof; you can overrule them!

III. But there comes a time when you can’t overrule your children – When they become Adults!

And that’s where this boy was – He wasn’t a Child, he wasn’t Adolescent; he was a man of full age!

And one of the things about the Person who is of full age is that, they make decisions.

In our country (Ghana) when you are eighteen (18) Years Old; you can determine who you want to be your President or Paliamentary Leader. You can vote! – That’s Big Responsibility.

Similarly, as children grow up, they are trusted for decisions.

However, we know that children can make some of the most bizarre decisions in their lives.

And they can do things that you know, without any shadow of doubt, is headed for disaster – And that is what this father knew!

He knew what this child asked was headed for disaster. And when the child started to go on his own, he knew it was not Good.

But he trusted that his child was a responsible child; and allowed him.to take that decision.

It’s very difficult for Parents (for fathers) to trust that their children. At their adult Stage, they can make decisions.

So, what do you do when you know that they are making a decision and it’s not Good?

3. THIS FATHER HAD A HEART FOR HIS CHILDREN INDEPENDENCE.

He understood: “I cannot baby them for ever! I cannot baby him forever. There comes a time when a man has got to do what a man has got to do!”

And that was where this child was – He was no longer a baby, he is no longer an Adolescent and his father trusted him to make Independent Choices.

A “Good Hearted Father” trusts his children in the Adult stage, to make Independent Choices.

HIS CHILDREN KNOW HIM AS A GENEROUS AND FAIR-MINDED PERSON.

1 Samuel 15:17 – “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I Perish with hunger!” (Very interesting).

In a far away Country and at the Lowest Point of the Son’s life, he remembered his father.

When life is dark, when his decisions are crushed, when he discovered he had made a fool of himself; he remembered his father! – He remembered his father’s house, and he remembered the home he had left behind.

And what did he remembered about his father?

… This is so important!

What he remembered about his father would determine the next step he would take.

And the son remembered how his father treated People – That’s what he remembered!

… He remembered how his father treated People.

His father’s heart, the generousity of his father! – He remembered that even the servants of his father were well treated.

What if he had remembered how tough his father was, how wicked his father was, how unbended he father was? – He would still have remained in the foreign land!

But when he remembered his father, he said: “Oh boy, what a father I had! Even the servants ate well at his table. People who were nobody, he made somebody. People who were down, he lifted up.”

His son remembered him at his Lowest Point!

Even the rebellious child at his Lowest Point would remember his what. But what would they remember?

For each father of us: What would your children remembered about you?

When they are grown and they are in trouble: When they travel and they are living in China, they are living in Korea, they are living in Australia, they are living in New Zealand, they are living in far away country. What do they remembered about you?

Do they remembered how well you treat People; or how Stingy you are, how hard you are, how unbending you are, how unforgiving you are, how angry you become?

What do they remember?

Because, what they remembered about you would determine the next step they take – Whether to go further into trouble or come back home.

And this son, at the Lowest Point of his Life, remembered his father!

And what I like about what he remembered about his father is: How he treated his servants; how his father treated the Lowest People in the society – And that spoke to him!

*It means that for us fathers, our children are watching our Relationships! They are watching how we relate to People, how we treat People.

Because one day, they will remember; and that Memory will determined the next step of their Life.

4. The fourth (4th) thing about this ‘Good Hearted Father” is that: HIS CHILDREN KNOW THEY CAN GO BACK TO HIM, EVEN IF THEY MAKE MISTAKES.

Luke 15:18-19 – I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”

He knew that no matter how far away he had gone, no matter the disaster he has caused his father, he will still be received – Even not as a son, he will still be received as a Servant.

So, for us fathers, do your children know that they can come back to you? Can they return? Can they come back to you?

And I like the attitude of this son; he said: “I know Sonship is gone! I can’t be a Son. I have just squandered the opportunity. But I think Servant in my father’s house is still Good.”

The child felt that even being a Second Best in his father’s house, was better than where he was – Can you imagine that!

That this Son felt – Even if I am nothing in my father’s house, it’s still better than where I am.

You know there children who leave their father’s house and never want to go there again because that place has bad Memories.

… They never want the Relationship again. They never want to go back to their father again.

Sadly, most of us have grown in a Culture where fatherhood also connotes lack of emotion; lack of feeling, lack of empathy and obstinacy.

When a father says: ‘This is what I say, and nothing else.’

They can abandon their children in the bush for life.

Sadly, sometimes it comes that way!

But this Son knew his father had a Good heart. And he knew ‘I can go back home.’ based on this, he decided to go back.

If you are a father listening to me or reading this Message on the Label of DMC, and you have a Son or your Daughter and their lives are really giving you a heartache; I Pray that they will remember your Good Heart. That no matter how far they go, they would return to the Good Heart – Amen.

And if you truly built a Good home for them, they can’t run from that home forever – They will come back home!

And may your children come back home – Amen! May they return to where they used to be – Amen.

So this Son, knew that he could go back, inspite of the horrible mistakes he had made with his Life.

5. The fifth (5th) Point: THIS FATHER ENCOURAGES HIS CHILDREN WHEN THEY TAKE THE RIGHT STEPS.

… A “Good Hearted Father” encourages his children when they take the Right Steps!

Luke 15:20 – And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

It appears from.the Story, that since the Son left home, the father had been expecting him to return!

He might have heard Stories of how far his Son had fallen. Travellers from the Town would bring reports about his sinful life and wayward Living. They would report about his wasteful habits.

And soon enough the father heard stories of the hardship his Son found himself in. Then the Story turned ugly – The son was now eating from the rubbish dump!

And all of these is happening, the father knows it. But he trusts the Decision making of his Son. He is not going to rush it but wants his son to make the Decision.

He made the Decision to go; he had to make the Decision to come back!

You have to allow People to get to the Decision Making Point – That’s what he is waiting for.

But whilst he is waiting, he already stands somewhere to look in Expectation – Is he coming back? Is he going to come back?

Then one day, he looked out and saw the Son coming home.

And the Passage says: The son was still a great way off, but the father got out of the house, ran towards his Son, embraced him and kissed him.

He had a heart of encouragement! – He is the father who encourages his children when they make the Right Decisions.

Sometimes father don’t know how to encourage children – They feel encouraging them will spoil them. ‘You have to be tough! You don’t have to acknowledge that they are doing well”.

They do well in class, it’s nothing! They Pass their exams, it’s nothing. They score a goal at the neighbourhood Soccer Game, it’s nothing! They are running in the School Team, it’s nothing. They Play Basketball in the School Team, it’s nothing. They learn to Play the Guitar, it doesn’t matter!

Decisions are being made, steps are being taken, but no encouragement.

… But this father had an Encouraging Heart.

The son had not come home;he was away. He was the one wondering: ‘Will I ever be accepted back?’ And the father said, he has taken one step. I’m going to take another step to meet him halfway.

… And he ran close to his Son and embraced him!

I can imagined the warmness of that embrace. Because if you have been a bad boy and you are coming home, and you see your father running to you (laughs), you can’t tell what the run is about:

I. Is he running to slap me?

II. Is he running to Push me away?

III. Is he running to tell me: Hey, don’t come back home?

… The boy was wondering.

And when the father raises his hand: Is he going to hit me? And then he feels the embrace around him!

… And all of a sudden he knows – It feels Good because the father encouraged him.

There is Power in the encouragement of a father!

Mothers encourage! – Mothers can say a thousand words of Praise to a child (and they are meaningful). But one word of Praise from the father is far more Powerful.

There is something about a father’s Encouragement and his words, that allows children to soar and to rise, and to do great things.

Fathers, you have to encourage your children!

And when they messed up and they are coming back – Encourage them.

When they are taking the Right steps, encourage them.

… This father had an Encouraging Heart!

6. THIS FATHER KNEW HOW TO CELEBRATE HIS CHILDREN.

Luke 15:22-24 – “But the father said to his Servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my Son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

This is very “Generous Good Hearted Father” – Best Robe, a ring, sandals, the fatted calf, party.

… All because “the son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!

There is no Scolding, I told you so! There is no Lecture, there is no New Instructions – For this moment, there is joy!

That is for the Problem child.

The thing is that, “Problem Children” occupy more attention than the “Good Ones”.

So whilst all of this is going on and the “Problem Child” is being Celebrated; the “Good Boy”; the dutiful one, the one who took his Inheritance and didn’t run away with it, but stayed to build the family business with his inheritance; He is still at work, he hasn’t left. He hasn’t squandered opportunities, he hasn’t disappointed his father. And as he comes home, he hears the Good.and Bad News:

His brother is back – Good News!

… Welcome back brother.

But there is the biggest party for his brother – Bad News!

And so he decides, ‘I’m not even going to the house again (it’s his turn to leave home)”.

What does my father thinks? I have been Faithful to him all this time, and he never treated me well?

So, the father was told: Your Older Son is very unhappy with you. He is very disappointed. And the father goes to reason with him.

7. HE KNOWS HOW TO REASON WITH HIS CHILDREN WHEN THEY ARE NOT HAPPY WITH HIS ACTIONS.

Luke 15:25-28 – Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and Pleaded with him.

… You know Servants and their Reports – It didn’t start today!

“He would not go in, the father came out.”

The same thing he did to the troublesome son (he went out to meet him).

For the Good Son, he also goes out to meet him.

The elder brother did not understand his father; he would not understand why his father would treat the troublesome brother this way. He felt his father had taken him for granted. He Probably felt his younger brother was their father’s favourite.

But the father understood the elder brother’s feeling. He didn’t say, well, leave him alone.

The father left the Party and went to reason with this one; he didn’t leave him.

And that’s something for us to learn – We must learn to reason with our children when they disagreed with us.

This father had an Accomodating Heart.

… And the Last Point:

8. HE KNOWS HOW TO APPRECIATE EACH CHILD INDIVIDUALLY.

Like 15:31-32 – “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’

… A fair-minded father! – Fair to both the Younger Son and the Older Son.

But I want you to take note of what he says here: He said to the Older Son – “All that I have is yours”.

IIn other words, I am not going to divide the Inheritance again!

I divided it the last time, this guy squandered it. What we have now is your Portion of the Inheritance, that is yours – And it is fair that it still remains yours.

And so I’m not going to take from you and give to your brother again – All that I have is yours. Your Inheritance is safe!

But this boy needs encouragement. He will not get an Inheritance, but he needs to be encouraged, he needs to be welcome. He to be appreciated.

So, what the father is doing for each child – They are due! You messed up, you came back, welcome! No Inheritance. You stayed with the Inheritance, no Party for you- Inheritance!

… Each one their due!

He understood how to touch each Child according to their Strength, according to their Ability and rewards them Accordingly.

Another father would have taken the Inheritance and given it the Second time to the Prodigal Son – That’s not what he did. He let the children know that each one of them, by their Strength have a different Entitlement.

… Each was treated fairly.

The Younger Son was hoping to be received as a Servant, but he had an Upgrade as a Son – But as a Son without Inheritance because he had squandered his opportunity.

If he needed a New Inheritance, he has to start from bottom, as Servants do, to build an Inheritance for himself – Because he had messed up the opportunity that was given to him.

The Older Son didn’t mess up, and the Bigger Inheritance went to him.

So we see a father – I call him THE GOOD HEARTED FATHER.

And for all of us fathers, who are having trouble Parenting troublesome children and Good children – Some of your children are Good, some of them are not Good, some give you heartache, some give you Joy, some spend all your money, some use the money wisely, some have gone wayward, others are staying close – You have to learn to appreciate each one of them.

But in doing that, not to also mismanage the appreciation: each one gets what they are due.

… That is what the father of the Prodigal Son teaches us.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL THE FATHERS OUT THERE – AMEN!!!

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