Dr. R.A. Vernon - The Father Factor.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00 fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, or don't
00:04 exasperate them in the message version, coming down hard on
00:09 them. Fathers, don't exasperate your children or coming down
00:13 hard on them. Here's my simple subject this morning, the father
00:20 factor, the father factor, go ahead and take your seat in the
00:24 house of God. I often tell you on both Mother's Day and Father's
00:30 Day that be careful with both. Because for many people, there's
00:35 a kind again of ambivalence regarding Mother's Day and
00:40 Father's Day. Happy Father's Day. Happy Father's Day. Happy
00:43 Father's Day. For some people, maybe Father's Day is not that
00:47 happy. For others, Mother's Day is not that happy. Depends again
00:51 on your context that you come from, your rearing, who you
00:54 raised, do they call you and check on you, your relationship
00:59 with your children, your relationship with your father,
01:01 who maybe was absent, watch this, or absent in the house.
01:06 And so therefore, there's these ambivalent to feel kind of good
01:10 and bad about something ambivalent sort of could be
01:13 ambivalence, a kind of ambivalence about that. You
01:16 know, I used to teach you based on what we see Deuteronomy, we
01:21 see it in Matthew 15, we see it in Exodus, what honor your
01:26 mother and father, that your days will be long on the earth
01:29 with the Lord that God has given you, you'll live a long time. I
01:33 taught for years. Remember, I told you, I said, the Bible does
01:36 not say honor your good father. It just say honor your father.
01:41 Yeah, and I taught you that for 20 years. But remember, thank
01:44 you, Bishop Joey. My theology is always forming and growing. I
01:49 think deeply about theology, fias, lagas, you're thinking
01:54 about God is your personal theology and scripture. So I
01:59 started tripping on that scripture, honor your mother
02:01 and father. And then I studied more deeply, the Bible assumes
02:06 that your father was present. The Bible assumes that your
02:11 father tried to be a daddy. So y'all pray for me because I'm
02:15 praying about do I still believe what I've taught you? That's
02:18 just honesty. I don't know if God wants me to show all this
02:22 honor to somebody who never tried. Now I may not cuss you
02:26 out when I see you. But that doesn't mean I'll hold you in
02:30 the highest honor Oxford Dictionary, Oxford English
02:34 Dictionary says to honor means to regard with great respect, or
02:39 high esteem. Now how am I gonna have high esteem from somebody
02:43 who raped my mama? So it was a date rape or some brother or
02:48 some father that didn't even bother. So I'm sort of
02:52 rethinking my position on how much honor I got to show the
02:57 Hebrew text assumes that that brother was trying to raise you.
03:02 And even with his imperfect self, you show him some honor.
03:07 Yeah, you don't just say anything to your father or your
03:11 mother, there's a blessing my mama had me too young. It's no
03:15 secret. I've been through a little summer. I'm so glad the
03:18 thing I'm most proud of is she stayed in the house I bought for
03:21 her cash for 10 years rent free, everything free until she went
03:25 to heaven. Because even though she was young, she tried to be
03:28 my mama. And therefore I've honored my mother and father to
03:32 the best of my ability. Your father deserves honor. If he put
03:38 forth any effort clap for him, everybody. Come on. Ephesians
03:45 six, verse four, I want to read it from like three versions
03:48 right quick. We're going fast. I know it's Father's Day, the
03:50 message fathers on exact for children by coming down hard on
03:53 them, take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the
03:56 masses. The NLT says fathers do not provoke your children to
03:59 anger by the way you treat them rather bring them up in the
04:02 discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. God's word
04:05 version fathers don't make your children bitter about life
04:09 instead bring them up in Christian discipline and
04:13 instruction. I'm tripping because Paul didn't say mama
04:15 there. He said father fathers have a kind of impact on a child
04:22 that even a mama don't even in the absence of your father, you
04:27 have to go to therapy, Christian therapy to work through it. But
04:30 trust me, if he wasn't there, you felt it. If he wasn't there
04:35 in some way, it came out sideways in relationships,
04:40 particularly romantic relationships. You'd be
04:42 surprised who you fail for because you wanted the touch of
04:46 a man. You want to be affirmation of a man. You don't
04:51 know it cognitively or psychologically, but it happens.
04:55 There's something about having a father and a mother in your
04:59 life. Pastor, you are so strong on this family stuff. What some
05:03 pastors feel about justice, whatever civil rights was to
05:07 Doctor King family is to me. Oh that put it in perspective
05:12 didn't it? Yeah, whatever civil rights was God gave me this
05:16 about 3 months ago. My theology and who I am and my calling is
05:19 still forming as you turn a certain age. Sometimes there
05:22 are callings within callings. I guess having a young mama
05:26 raising a blended family, knowing what I mean to all 5 of
05:29 my babies watching the destruction of America,
05:32 particularly in the black ethos because of a lack of family
05:36 structure now has given me a new passion in the second half
05:40 of my past with civil rights was to Doctor King family is to
05:44 your boy. So I take it serious. I take fathering serious even
05:49 if you blend it and raising a child that don't have your last
05:52 name. That's your family. Even if you're coming back from
05:56 something trying to recover, even if you was young and got
05:59 pregnant too early, your family is your family. I want to read
06:03 some staggering stats to you. I read some of these before, but
06:09 these are new trip on this. Everybody look right at me.
06:12 Thank God you are because this is going to blow you away.
06:15 fatherlessness is a worldwide issue with statistics from the
06:18 US Department of Health showing 63% of youth suicides come from
06:24 fatherless homes. 90% of all homeless and runaway children
06:29 come from fatherless homes. 85% of all children who show
06:34 behavior disorders fatherless homes 80% of all rapists with
06:40 anger problems fatherless homes. 71% of high school
06:45 dropouts 75% of adolescent patients and chemical abuse
06:49 centers. 85% of youth that are in prison 71% of pregnant
06:54 teenagers 63% of youth suicides all come from fatherless homes.
07:02 God gave me this. How could any woman in her baby making years
07:07 hear those stats and sleep with somebody stupid? I just said
07:12 something powerful. How could any woman after hearing those
07:16 stats sleep with somebody stupid? I'm not just looking
07:19 for sexy. I'm looking for significance and substance. Do
07:23 you have the ability? Watch this particularly if I got a
07:26 baby, you're not dating me. You're dating us. You're marrying
07:31 us to those young enough 20s 30s 40s and still can have a baby
07:36 literally sleeping with the wrong brother could kill your
07:39 child or at least kill their future. If not kill them
07:44 literally. Oh, that's powerful. Ain't it? Yeah. I know maybe
07:48 you've never heard this kind of preaching because the world
07:50 says that men are not even important no more. How could
07:54 you hear those stats and just have a one night stand? How
07:58 could you hear those stats and have college rendezvous? How
08:01 could you hear those stats and two ladies get together and
08:05 think they're going to have a baby? No girl. You can't be me.
08:09 No. I don't care how much you try to walk like a pimp. You
08:12 not me. I don't care how baggy your clothes are. I don't care
08:18 how strong you try to be. You don't have innate masculinity
08:24 that God puts in a man only there is power in the father
08:30 stand up and sit back down and say teach us something.
08:35 Yeah, so so those stats are staggering fathers matter. I
08:45 don't need no man fine. Just don't have no children. Yeah. I
08:50 have no problem with women who say I don't need a man or want
08:52 a man just don't have any children children need their
08:57 father. Let me give you a few things that fathers ought to do.
09:01 You know every church and I'll push pastors across the world
09:04 for some reason Mother's Day. We lift mothers up like they are
09:07 queen Jesus. But Father's Day most pastors bombastically be
09:14 down to brothers. You ought to do this and you ought to do
09:18 that. So I'm going to spend a few minutes giving you watch
09:20 this some responsibility, but in the last part of my sermon,
09:25 I'm going to give you some show enough recognition. I want to
09:27 affirm you after I challenge you. So watch this first of all
09:30 first and foremost, you'll love this children need their
09:35 father's provision. Children need their father's provision.
09:41 Watch this. They also need their father's presence and
09:45 participation say that yeah presence not just in the house
09:50 playing the game not not just in the house yesterday. I
09:54 couldn't make this up some of you may see it on Instagram. I
09:57 was getting ready for my sermon. I promise you you have
09:59 to be a pastor to know right around 3 4 o'clock on Saturday.
10:04 You could be at a picnic. You could be at the mall. You could
10:05 be at your alarm clock goes off. I gotta work tomorrow. I
10:09 gotta do what I do. So you're going to your anointing mode
10:12 and just studying looking at the computer. It's just
10:13 something I can't explain this unless you're a pastor, but
10:16 Ralph calls me and says, Dad, I'm in the gym. I said good for
10:20 you. He says I'm in the gym. So I'm like okay. I'm like you
10:25 want me to come with you. Yeah. I'm here. Come on. I'm like
10:31 through my t-shirt on and by the way killed them too. And
10:38 right so Ray come we play 33. I beat them both. I'm 50. Tell
10:44 him when you see him. Y'all just missed that praise God
10:47 that left his skills. I mean that left it was bad. It was
10:50 bad. Just ask him about it. Ask him about it. They know. Yeah.
10:54 There you go right there embarrassed with the camera. You
10:56 put the camera on yourself. You're the one that should be
10:58 embarrassed brother. I'm 50. My father couldn't beat me when he
11:01 was 50. So I'm going wrong around. Yeah. Father's father's
11:07 children need their father's presence. You'll love this, but
11:09 then children need their father's provision. First
11:12 Timothy five verse eight. You all know it says if anyone
11:14 doesn't take care of his own relatives, especially his
11:17 immediate family. He is denied the Christian faith and is
11:20 worse than an unbeliever. The Bible says you're worse than a
11:23 sinner. If you don't attempt to put food on the table, that's
11:28 the worst than an unbeliever. The Bible calls a man who will
11:32 not provide for his relatives. That would be of course
11:35 Hebraically. You would do what you had to do for your mom. If
11:37 your father was not alive and your immediate circle, your
11:40 children, your bride man gotta produce. I have not been
11:46 unemployed since I was 18 years old. I told you guys if you
11:50 guys fired me today, I'll be the most Uber eats Uber driving
11:55 can picking up braiding hair and can't even braid it
11:59 washing behind. I wish I had five straight up men food is
12:04 going to be on my kids table and bills are going to be paid
12:08 if I can breathe. No man in this room should be unemployed.
12:18 I keep riding past places to say we'll hire today. Come in
12:23 now. No application needed. Do what you gotta do until you can
12:28 do what you wanna do, but a father has to provide. He has
12:36 to fight to provide pray for me. Lady Vernon has her money
12:41 seems like her money is her money, but my money is our
12:43 money and I don't see the fairness in that. I've been
12:46 trying to figure out like where's your money because it
12:49 never helps me with the bills and stuff. I don't know y'all
12:53 pray for me. I take it serious. Not only should a father
12:56 provide you'll love this children not only need their
12:59 father's provision children need their father's prayers.
13:05 Raise your hand and say teach us pastor great class. I
13:10 decided to read straight from the Bible today. You can't
13:13 argue with the scripture Job one verses four and five from
13:16 the God's word version. I know you know the narrative of Job,
13:19 but read this in truth with me. His sons used to go to each
13:22 other's homes where they would have parties. Each brother took
13:25 his turn having a party. They would send someone to invite
13:28 their three sisters to eat and drink with them when they
13:30 finished having their parties. Job would send for them in
13:33 order to cleanse them from sin. He would get up early in the
13:36 morning and sacrifice burnt offerings for each of them. Job
13:40 thought my children may have sinned and curse God in their
13:43 hearts. Job offered sacrifices for them all the time. Peep
13:48 this them kids was grown. Grandma told me they may get
13:53 off your knee, but they never get off your heart. Yeah, them
13:56 kids was grown. They have been part of Job like I think they
13:59 got high last night. I heard that music. I think it was some
14:02 weed in there Lord Jesus and I saw some girls running through
14:04 the back door. I don't know. I'm making all this up. It's not in
14:06 the Bible. Praise God. Whatever the issue was Job said, let me
14:11 pray for them. Can I tell you? Yeah, look at me brothers who
14:16 make money and love your kids from your heart. Your pastor
14:19 wants to challenge you on one thing. You don't say they name
14:22 enough. There is power in prayer. Oh, this is not the
14:27 club. This is not the NBA. No, no, no. This is not the
14:31 Playhouse Theater. I'm not a comedian. You at the church.
14:34 Can I tell church men, church men, pastor what you're doing
14:38 with the 40 guys you're training? I'm changing them
14:41 into church men. Ecclesiology, the study of the church, not
14:46 just how to get a woman, how to shoot a jumper, how to put on a
14:49 condom. No, the streets can teach you that. The reason I
14:53 stand here as your spiritual father of this house is to
14:56 teach men how to pray. Oh, there's power in daddy's
15:02 prayer. There's power when a man prays. Say your children's
15:07 name. All five. Pastor, what you want to shout about? A couple
15:10 of dollars? No. Pastor, what you want to shout about? Having a
15:12 big church? No. All five of my children are in this sanctuary
15:18 right now and they all love church and love the Lord.
15:23 That's all I wanted from the Lord. And so sometime, come
15:27 here, brothers. Don't you get nervous when I feel the devil
15:30 in my house. Oh, I guess I'm too deep for some people. I
15:35 thought there were some people here who had the holy ghost.
15:37 You can't believe in Jesus and not believe in the devil. Let
15:41 me try this again. You can't believe in Jesus and not
15:44 believe in the devil because Jesus believed in the devil.
15:47 There is a real devil. The Bible talks about him and
15:50 sometimes he's trying to kill your child. Sometime, he's
15:53 trying to enter your daughter's bedroom and a father has to
15:57 have the holy ghost. When something tells you to get up
16:02 and sometime I go jump in the bed with my kids. You may
16:10 think it's spooky. I think it's spiritual. I say, God, cover
16:13 my... I wish I had some real people in here that believe in
16:20 the power of prayer, that believe that prayer still
16:24 changes things and that God answers prayer.
16:30 And so all of my children, we tell you stories about how they
16:35 got startled in the middle of the night because when God
16:38 tells me to pray, I don't ask permission. No, no, no, no.
16:42 Sometimes God tells me to go to my prayer place. Sometimes he
16:44 tells me to walk the whole house and so I go by their
16:47 rooms intentionally praying out loud. Father, cover Dominic
16:51 in the name of Jesus. Bless Sinead. God, touch Ray, Father.
16:54 Touch Raphael. Touch my daughter, Victory. I'm saying
16:57 their names and whatever I'm believing God to do in their
17:00 life, I'll let them hear me say it out loud so my prayers
17:03 would translate into their vision and it will come
17:05 together as a conflation and a congruency and they realize my
17:09 father spoke this over my life. Brother, do you know what's in
17:13 your mouth? There's power in your mouth. Thank you, Bishop
17:19 T.D. Jakes for letting me preach at MegaFest and I told
17:22 five or ten thousand men that sometime I get so tired of my
17:27 wife calling the children's name, especially my son. Ralph,
17:33 Ray, Ralph. They just taking their time coming. I just come
17:39 to the intercom and say, "Hey!" Everything come running
17:43 through the house. I'm sorry. Pointing three brothers say
17:45 there's a hay in your mouth. Go ahead. "Hey!" Devil, leave my
17:49 children alone. "Hey!" It's time for some more money to be in
17:52 here. "Hey!" I covered my daughter's whole life. Do me a
17:56 favor. Slap five people and say, "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,
17:58 hey, hey."
18:01 Devil, you can't have my children. "Hey!" It's a new
18:06 season in the life of my family. "Hey!" I speak life
18:10 over my generations. "Hey!"
18:14 And so, so, so children, what time is it? Cooling again.
18:24 Children need their father's prayer. So, they need your,
18:29 they need your presence and they need your participation
18:33 and they need your provision and yes, they need your prayers.
18:36 Can I spend the last few minutes of this feeble
18:40 dissertation not only telling you what children need but for
18:44 the first time in the history of this ministry, I want to
18:47 spend Father's Day talking about what fathers need from
18:50 their children. What fathers need from the mothers of their
18:57 children. Be they married or not. Pastor, but he wasn't no
19:02 good. Girl, he was a reflection of your intelligence.
19:08 Don't call him stupid. Don't talk about your husband. He's
19:21 a reflection of your intelligence. Come on, be grown.
19:25 You picked him. There was no rape involved. It was voluntary
19:30 submission. Every woman who's shame, throw your hands up and
19:33 say, "Lord, pray for me. Praise God. Amen. I just, I didn't
19:36 know. I didn't know. Yeah, yeah. Let me tell you what
19:40 fathers need in 13 minutes and 26 seconds. First and foremost,
19:44 you'll love this. Fathers need and deserve access. I didn't
19:51 get a whole lot of amen. Fathers need access. If you
19:58 slept with him voluntarily and you had a child with him, no
20:04 matter what kind of man he was to you, them his children too.
20:12 I don't care if you caught him with your friend. Don't pay him
20:17 back with a Jezebel spirit.
20:21 Lead him. Divorce him if he wants to run around, but if
20:29 he's willing to be a father with tears in your eyes, don't
20:34 play games with their life because you mad you can't have
20:40 him. Have you ever heard a pastor say this? I say it out
20:44 loud because it's going to change the lives of angry
20:49 women. I hate he did that to you, but them his kids too.
20:57 Pastor, but they be smoking weed over there. They was
20:59 smoking when you were sleeping with them. You was smoking too.
21:03 Oh, you always high. Now you miss Jesus.
21:08 Snap somebody and say, "He preaching to you, not me.
21:12 Praise God. I live with my husband. All that ghetto stuff,
21:15 I live with my husband. I don't know. He preaching to you."
21:19 Fathers deserve access. Pastor, but they cuss over there.
21:26 They'll be alright. Yeah, let him meet the cussing side of
21:29 his family. That's who he is. That's who she is. Pastor, but
21:34 they wild over there. So what? But they love her. Yeah, they
21:38 love him. Maybe they don't go to church, but that side of the
21:40 family is as much their family as your side of the family is.
21:44 You be a grown woman and say, "Look, when you go over there,
21:48 you know they smoke, you know they drink, you know they play
21:51 crazy music, but that's your father. Now, if you get old
21:55 enough and choose not to go, that's on you, but I slept with
21:58 him. He's your father. He deserves you as much as I do."
22:04 Did I tell you that not only do children, do fathers deserve
22:14 access? I've never heard this preached. Secondly, and I'm
22:16 finished, fathers deserve advocacy. Advocacy to advocate
22:25 for, to intercede for, to speak for, to advocate. Fathers
22:31 deserve advocacy. True story. I told it at 9am. One of my guys
22:35 that I'm training, he's here now. I mean, the most humble
22:38 spirit I've ever met. It's been a year, so after a while, I get
22:40 to know who you are. Most gentle spirit. You can't fake in front
22:44 of us so long. I have discernment. Good spirit,
22:47 humble, show up whenever I need him, has not seen his children
22:51 in three or four months because the mother just got tired of
22:55 him. In essence, I'm just bored with you and then starts to
22:58 make up stories like, "I think he will hurt my child." So she
23:03 can be free and get somebody else to do whatever she wants.
23:05 "I feel like my kids are in danger." Courts believe it.
23:10 Strip him of access to his children. He said, "Pastor, I've
23:14 never put my hands on her, never even looked at her mean,
23:17 would never hurt my children, has not seen his babies. I get
23:21 subpoenaed voluntarily." I said, "Subpoena me." I get calls
23:25 every single day, those watching across the world with
23:28 Dr. Vernon, with Pastor Vernon, go to court with me, whatever.
23:30 I can't do everything God told me to go. I'm in court. The
23:35 judge says, "Dr. Vernon," I said, "I pastor the largest
23:37 church, black church in Northeast Ohio. My name means
23:41 more to me than any one moment." I said, "I am telling
23:44 you, I don't do this to everybody. This beautiful
23:47 brother deserves to see his children." I said, "His mother,
23:51 their mother, I'm sure, is a beautiful woman and they need
23:55 her, but they need him too. They need him too." Who's going
24:00 to advocate for fathers? You need both. Proverbs 1 verse 8,
24:06 "My son, listen to your father's discipline and don't
24:10 neglect your mama's teaching." Listen to your father's
24:16 discipline and don't neglect your father's teaching or your
24:20 mother's teaching. Why? Because you need both. My wife and I
24:25 were walking the hill at our property yesterday, walking up
24:27 the hill, and she said she was coming up the driveway and she
24:31 saw something about just some ducks and their children, some
24:34 geese, and I took my phone out. She said, "They're doing it
24:37 again, baby." Happened to have my phone. So, watch this. Kill
24:41 the lights and watch this right quick and I'm coming right
24:43 back.
24:49 That even
24:53 even birds literally have the father in the front, the
25:01 mother in the back, and the kids in the middle. We watched
25:05 them cross this driveway and literally, they made sure the
25:11 kids stayed in the middle of them. I'm like, "Wow, even
25:16 animals understand you need a mother and a father and if you
25:22 stay between them, you'll probably stay safe." That's
25:29 good, isn't it? Is that good? Even God is ministering through
25:33 animals. Lady Vernon said she was coming up the driveway.
25:36 Normally, they just jump out the way. She said since the
25:38 kids were walking behind the mother, she just stopped and
25:41 looked at Lady Vernon. Then the father came back like, "You
25:46 gonna have to run us all over before you kill our babies. I
25:49 wish I had some man in this church to say to get to my
25:54 children, you got to come through me."
25:58 So, I've made a decision that I'm going to be advocates for
26:07 fathers of this ministry. Do you know that you can catch
26:11 your wife in the bed with another man in your house?
26:16 She'll get the house and the children in our legal system
26:20 and you caught her. This is deep but I'm telling you as a
26:23 pastor to judges watching, to people with influence, I'm
26:26 speaking on behalf of black men in Cleveland, Ohio who
26:31 deserve to see their children because they weren't great
26:36 husbands or boyfriends do not mean they won't be great
26:40 fathers. I need women. Okay, you know what? Okay, so in
26:45 Genesis 27, you got Rebecca, right? I'm done. Cold-blooded
26:48 crowd. Rebecca who has two boys. She got Jacob and Esau.
26:53 Who reads your Bible sometime, right? Yeah, Jacob, mama's boy,
26:56 Esau, roughneck. Isaac is getting ready to die. He's old.
27:01 Back in the day, you bless your children and the blessing was
27:05 irrevocable. Don't forget. I said that the blessing take a
27:08 mental note. Take a mental note. Take a mental note. The
27:12 blessing was irrevocable. She hears Isaac talking to the
27:16 oldest boy Esau saying, son, I'm getting ready to die. Go
27:20 make me a meal. Bring it to me so I can put my hands on you
27:24 and bless you before I die. Rebecca who likes Jacob more
27:29 than she like her other son Esau says, we're going to play
27:33 a game on your daddy and trick him. You go put some hair on
27:36 your arms because your brother got hairy arms. I got this
27:39 stuff you can put on your arms that'll make you feel hairy
27:42 then come in. I'm going to make sure daddy bless you while
27:45 Esau out there in the streets. So Jacob comes in and fronts
27:50 like he's Esau and gets the blessing. Esau come running in
27:55 find out what his brother did. Y'all ready to shout looked at
27:58 his daddy and said, do you have another blessing? What I just
28:02 said should have made somebody jump out your seat. He has
28:07 tears in his eyes and says, I don't want the Bentley. I need
28:09 the blessing because if I get the blessing, I'll get my own
28:12 Bentley. Can I get a what what up in here? And so every
28:17 Father's Day, I hear pastors talking about trifling fathers.
28:22 Can I spend 30 seconds talking about tricky mamas?
28:27 Don't play tricks on your kids with their father because
28:32 that's a Jezebel spirit and in the name of Jesus, I thank God
28:38 for all the women in this room who did not play games with
28:43 their children's future because of their personal sex life.
28:49 If I'm preaching stand up and sit back down.
28:55 [Applause]
28:57 Somebody says something powerful. I'm so tired of
29:04 hearing people tell men fight for your children. Somebody
29:08 asked the question. Why should he have to fight? Why I gotta
29:15 fight for my children? They mine and so fathers in this
29:20 room, I speak life over you. Not only do fathers need access
29:24 and not only do fathers need advocacy, but finally and I bid
29:29 you goodbye. Fathers need admiration.
29:34 Okay. Mother's Day. Was that a great comedian or what?
29:41 Mother's Day is just like Easter in church. Poe Father's
29:45 Day. I speak over the lives of men that have stayed in the
29:50 house with your child that maybe you didn't stay in the
29:54 house with him, but you chased him their whole life. I admire
29:58 you today. Men are not as emotive. Most men are not as
30:06 emotive as women, but don't think we don't feel. We've been
30:11 taught go kill something and don't complain. Go get it. No
30:14 time for nobody to feel sorry for you. Go make money. If we
30:18 go too much, you don't have us, but if you have us too much, we
30:23 don't have no money. If we go get the money, then we're not
30:27 present. If we're present, we ain't got no money. So we're
30:31 fighting trying to do both at the same time and to the five
30:34 or twenty or a hundred in this church that have handsomely
30:38 handled the task of provision and presence. Somebody needs to
30:42 give them some admiration. I wish I wish I had somebody that
30:50 would admire them. They deserve admiration. Proverbs 31 says
30:59 her children shall rise up and call her blessed. Let me burn
31:04 the nods and I say his children shall rise up and call him
31:09 blessed. I take fathering seriously. Somebody asked me
31:13 today. What's more important to you pastor your birthday or
31:16 father's day had never been asked that. I said I think
31:19 father's day. I'm blessed to turn another year, but I work
31:22 hard to be a father. It was the greatest goal of my life, not
31:26 even being your pastor that they wouldn't be in therapy
31:29 because of me. It was the greatest goal of my life that
31:32 they never feel absent and so on Ray's wedding day, we lift
31:36 and weights early in the morning on his wedding day. He
31:40 stops in the middle of the workout session and said all
31:43 you've been through. How did you end up being such a good
31:46 father?
31:49 Hear me if I had fell down and died right then it would have
31:56 been well with my soul on the biggest day of his life. He
32:00 said, how did you pull that off? I said man you grading me on
32:03 the curve. Our church grew too fast. There were times I was
32:07 too busy, but I tried my best fathers sometime need to hear
32:13 you did good. Every man I talk to today. We all feel the same
32:19 way. Don't buy us nothing. What I want you can't afford. I
32:23 want a jet. Did y'all get me one of those so keep the house
32:28 shoes and the tie. All five of them today. Shanae's going to
32:33 make me some hamburger and French fries and then they're
32:36 going to watch the godfather with me because they're
32:40 biblical principles and the godfather. You have to search
32:42 for them Scarface godfather good fellas. You have to look
32:46 for it. It's there their leadership principles. There's
32:49 God in it. It's family. It's I'm trying. I'm trying. And all I
32:55 want them to do is just kiss on me all day and bring me my
32:58 plate. I really mean it. You'd offend me if you buy me
33:01 something. They don't want nothing just your presence and
33:05 maybe tell the old man that I did alright.
33:10 I'm out of here. I only got 2 minutes. Let me give you this
33:18 in case your father was missing in case your father wasn't
33:22 perfect. I got a scripture. We're going to shout out on
33:24 Psalms 2017. Even if my mother and father abandoned me, the
33:29 Lord would take care of me. I gotta go. Happy Father's Day.
33:35 Let me try this again. Even if my mother and father abandoned
33:38 me, the Lord don't you look at me like that. There's a whole
33:41 lot of y'all who father was not perfect, but you got a college
33:44 degree. You're married. God put food on the table. He's keeping
33:48 your mind. You a good daddy. You a good mama. Somebody better
33:52 give honor to our spiritual father to our only father
33:57 somebody give praise to God in here.
34:02 Now y'all not making enough noise if God made a way for you
34:08 if God kept you in spite of you, then let everything that
34:13 has breath on Father's Day weekend. Give God some praise
34:19 for what he's been.
34:22 I like the way y'all looking at me when I call your stuff out,
34:27 you shout if he put food on your table. If he put clothes
34:31 on your back or roof over your head. If he made a way out of
34:40 no way. If he kept you when you should have lost your mind. If
34:46 he helped you make it through college. If he helped you
34:49 survive your head, then somebody open up your mouth on a Sunday
34:57 morning and say thank you for being my father.
35:04 Take 30 seconds and praise him out loud.
35:10 If you're blessed today, if you're highly favored today, I
35:17 need you to hold somebody.
35:21 God has been good to me. If you're not too stuck up on
35:29 Father's Day weekend, would you obey your spiritual father and
35:34 grab somebody by both of their hands. I said grab I said grab
35:39 somebody I said I said grab I said grab somebody by both of
35:42 their hands. Now shake them and rock them and shake them. Shake
35:49 them and rock them. Please be obedient, rock them and shake
35:52 them. I said neighbor, I've had some good days and I've had some
36:01 bad days. Preach to your neighbor, I've had some hills to
36:06 climb. But when I look back over my life and think things over,
36:14 all of my good days outweigh my bad days.
36:21 Won't complain. Would you go grab my with me? Would you bump
36:28 somebody and say this morning when I rose, I didn't have no
36:37 doubt. Because I knew the Lord, he would take care of me. And I
36:43 knew the Lord would provide for me. Yes. Good evening, Word
36:50 Church. And Happy Father's Day to you. But if the Lord made a
36:56 way out of no way, let everything that has breath praise
37:05 the Lord. Open up your mouth and say I should have been dead,
37:11 sleeping in my grave. But the Lord made death the haze. I need
37:18 nine people and I'll make ten. I need nine people and I'll make
37:25 ten that will slide to the isle and tell somebody God's been
37:31 good to me. I need nine people and I'll make ten that will slide
37:38 to the isle or turn around in your seat and say, "Neighbor,
37:42 you don't know like I know what the Lord has done for me. I'm
37:51 still here. I'm not a perfect mother. I'm not a perfect
37:56 father. But the Lord washed over my children. The Lord washed
38:04 over my mother. I'm not going to stand here like I'm not
38:08 grateful. I'm going to tell the Lord, I'm going to serve the
38:13 Lord while I have a chance. Goodbye, y'all. Just one more
38:18 time, would you point at somebody and say, "God is your
38:24 father." God is your father. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This has been
38:43 a good thing. Don't wait till the battle is over. But stop.
38:51 Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. I need ten people to run
39:07 down to this altar and dance like God is your father.
39:12 (Music)
39:17 (Music)
39:22 (Music)
39:27 (Music)
39:32 (Music)
39:37 (Music)
39:42 (Music)
39:47 (Music)
39:52 (Music)
39:57 (Music)
40:02 (Music)
40:07 (Music)
40:12 (Music)
40:17 (Music)
40:22 (Music)
40:27 (Music)
40:32 (Music)
40:37 (Music)
40:42 (Music)
40:47 (Music)
40:52 (Music)
40:57 (Music)
41:02 (Music)
41:07 (Music)
41:12 (Music)
41:17 (Music)
41:22 (Music)
41:27 (Music)
41:32 (Music)
41:37 (Music)
41:42 (Music)
41:47 Somebody stop. Somebody celebrate. Somebody say, "God is
41:53 your father." (Music)
41:58 (Music)
42:03 (Music)
42:08 (Music)
42:13 (Music)
42:18 (Music)
42:23 (Music)
42:28 (Music)
42:33 (Music)
42:38 (Music)
42:43 (Music)
42:48 (Music)
42:53 (Music)
42:58 (Music)
43:03 (Music)
43:08 (Music)
43:13 (Music)
43:18 (Music)
43:23 (Music)
43:28 (Music)
43:33 (Music)
43:38 (Music)
43:43 (Music)
43:48 (Music)
43:53 (Music)
43:58 (Music)
44:03 (Music)
44:08 (Music)
44:13 (Music)
44:18 (Music)
44:23 (Music)
44:28 (Music)
44:33 (Music)
44:38 (Music)
44:43 (Music)
44:48 (Music)
44:53 (Music)
44:58 (Music)
45:03 (Music)
45:08 (Music)
45:13 (Music)
45:18 (Music)
45:23 (Music)
45:28 (Music)
45:33 (Music)
45:38 (Music)
45:43 (Music)
45:48 (Music)
45:53 (Music)
45:58 (Music)
46:03 (Music)
46:08 (Music)
46:13 (Music)
46:18 (Music)
46:23 (Music)
46:28 (Music)
46:33 (Music)
46:38 (Music)
46:43 (Music)
46:48 (Music)
46:53 (Music)
46:58 (Music)
47:03 (Music)
47:08 (Music)
47:13 (Music)
47:18 (Music)
47:23 (Music)
47:28 (Music)
47:33 (Music)
47:38 (Music)
47:43 (Music)
47:48 (Music)
47:53 (Music)
47:58 (Music)
48:03 (Music)
48:08 (Music)
48:13 (Music)
48:18 (Music)
48:23 (Music)
48:28 (Music)
48:33 (Music)
48:38 (Music)
48:43 (Music)
48:48 (Music)
48:53 (Music)
48:58 (Music)
49:03 (Music)
49:08 (Music)
49:13 (Music)
49:18 (Music)
49:23 (Music)
49:28 (Music)
49:33 (Music)
49:38 (Music)
49:43 (Music)
49:48 (Music)
49:53 (Music)
49:58 (Music)
50:03 (Music)
50:08 (Music)
50:13 (Music)
50:18 (Music)
50:23 (Music)
50:28 (Music)
50:33 (Music)
50:38 (Music)
50:43 (Music)
50:48 (Music)
50:53 (Music)
50:58 (Music)
51:03 (Music)
51:08 (Music)
51:13 (Music)
51:18 (Music)
51:23 (Music)
51:28 (Music)
51:33 (Music)
51:38 (Music)
51:43 (Music)
51:48 (Music)
51:53 (Music)
51:58 (Music)
52:03 (Music)
52:08 (Music)
52:13 (Music)
52:18 (Music)
52:23 (Music)
52:28 (Music)
52:33 (Music)
52:38 (Music)
52:43 (Music)
52:48 (Music)
52:53 (Music)
52:58 (Music)
53:03 (Music)
53:08 (Music)
53:13 (Music)
53:18 (Music)
53:23 (Music)
53:28 (Music)
53:33 (Music)
53:38 (Music)
53:43 (Music)
53:48 (Music)
53:53 (Music)
53:58 (Music)
54:03 (Music)
54:08 (Music)
54:13 (Music)
54:18 (Music)