Father's Day, A Father's Credo  

Matthew 8:9

PSBC  June 16, 2002 

In a nutshell: The credo of the Roman centurion involved, Authority, Submission and Responsibility. That must be the credo of Christian fathers as well.

I. Introduction

A. Cosby Story

One of my favorite entertainers is Bill Cosby. In a routine about fathers, he said, "Now that my father is a grandfather he just can't wait to give money to my kids. But when I was a kid and I asked him for 50 cents, he would tell me the story of his life. How he got up at 5 a.m. when he was 10-years-old and walked 23 miles to milk 90 cows. And the farmer he worked for had no bucket so he had to squirt the milk into his little hand and then walk 8 miles to get a can. And all for 5 cents. The result was...I never got my 50 cents.

"But now he tells my children every time he comes into the house, 'Well, let's see how much money old Granddad has for his wonderful grandkids.' And the minute they take money out of his hands I call them over to me and I snatch it away from them. BECAUSE THAT IS MY MONEY."

B. What My Dad Taught Me

Well, men… Happy Father's Day, men! The women got special gifts from the church on Mother's Day, and you're going to get a sermon. Nobody ever said life was fair!

I came across this little "diddy" this week, and I though I'd share it with you. It's called…, …"What my dad taught me."

- My dad taught me about religion when he said… "You better pray that stain will come out of the carpet!" - My dad taught me about behavior modification when he said…"Stop acting like your brother!" - My dad taught me about time travel when he said…"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" - My dad taught me about logic when he said…"Because I said so, that's why." - My dad taught me about the circle of life when he said…"I brought you into this world and I can take you out!" - My dad taught me about the weather when he said…"It looks like a tornado swept through this room!"

Hopefully, you're teaching your kids, grandkids and great grandkids some better things about life than what's on that list. In fact, that's what I want to talk with you about this morning. I want to share with you the very best thing you can teach your kids-A philosophy of life-or a credo, that you personally adopt as your own.

C. Isaiah's Day

The state of popular culture in Isaiah's day was very similar to what we are encountering today. Listen to this description…

Isaiah 59:12-15a 12 For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: 13 rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. 14 So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. 15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey…

Sin is nothing new. As I've studied history, I've seen that periods of overwhelming sin seem to role into the generations like waves roll on the ocean. There are times of waves crashing and there are times of waves receding. And the interesting thing to note is that the times when sin always recedes is when revival takes place in the church, and particularly men get serious about their faith.

And friends, we become serious about our faith when we make a recommitment to following a specific credo based on a single verse in the New Testament. Whenever groups of Christians have begun to follow this credo, these people begin to influence their children, grand children, great grandchildren, their communities, and their world for God.

It was true in Luther's time, it was true in Calvin's time, in Wesley's time, during the time of the First Great Awakening in this country, and the Second Great Awakening, during the Jesus Movement of the 70's, and even the sparks of revival that took place on several college campuses in the late 1990's. They all began with the men in the church making a commitment to be serious about their faith in God by following the credo of the Roman centurion.

D. Change in our thinking

As you may know, a Roman centurion was the commander of a group of 100 men in the army of Rome. And one day, one of these centurions encountered Jesus, and became very impressed with Him. And he made this statement…

Matthew 8:9a 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.

Folks, that's the credo of the Roman centurion. And what is contained in that is what it takes to be a true man of God. Without it, you're doomed to failure if you want to influence the next generations for God. Without it, (spiritually speaking) the best you can hope for is a mediocre life. In fact, without it, you will never see the power of God displayed through you.

This credo has three parts, and we can view the parts like the three legs of a stool. Take any one part away, and the stool will collapse. Keep all three legs, and you'll have an entity that will be strong and will not fall. And it's those three things that I want to share with you this morning, on this Father's Day. The three parts of the Roman centurion's credo were: Authority, Submission and Responsibility.

II. Authority

A. What happens to a centurion

Let's look at the first leg-authority. The Roman centurion had given his life to obeying and carrying out the orders of the emperor of Rome. He was a professional soldier. When a man became a centurion in the Roman army, he gave up everything to the emperor. -He no longer could own property. -He had to cease communication with his family. -He could own no things or merchandise as his own property. -He was totally committed to serving his emperor and his country. -He held on to nothing that could possibly take his loyalty away from Rome. …And in turn, Rome took very good care of him.

So, a man had to decide before he accepted the promotion from foot soldier to centurion, to whose authority would he submit-was it going to be to the emperor, or was it going to be to himself.

Well, in the same way, if we are going to influence our families and change our valley for Jesus, we also have to decide between two authorities. There is no provision for mixing the two-it is either one or the other.

Look at what Jesus says in…

Matthew 13:38-42 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus tells us very plainly that there are two forces at work on earth-God and the devil. And everyone of us must make a decision about whose authority we are going to follow. There can be no compromise.

B. Haitian Illustration

A missionary friend of mine who is serving in Haiti, told me this story. It seems that a certain man wanted to sell his house for $2000. Another man wanted to buy it very badly. So, after much bargaining, the owner finally agreed to sell the house for half his original asking price. However, he wrote one stipulation into the contract…he would sell the entire house, but he would retain ownership of one small nail that protruded just above the door.

After several years, the original owner wanted to buy the house back, but the man to whom he had sold the house was unwilling to sell it back. So the owner exercised his rights under the original contract. He went out into the jungle and found the carcass of a dead dog, and he proceeded to hang that carcass on the single nail that he still owned.

As you can imagine, soon the house because unlivable because of the stench of the rotting carcass, and the family who lived in the house was forced to sell the house back to the owner of the nail.

My missionary friend said, "That's a good illustration of what happens if we leave the devil with one small peg in our life. He will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ's habitation."

Friends, like the centurion's commitment to authority was absolute, so must our commitment to the authority of Jesus be in every part of our lives. Do you want to influence your kids for good and for God, then make sure you are committed to Jesus' authority in your life.

III. Submission

"For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me."

The second leg of our three-legged stool is found in our submission to the authority of Jesus Christ. There are actually three parts to this leg-a submission to, a submission of, and a submission for…

A. Submission to…

First of all, the centurion's submission was to a person. In his case it was submission to the Emperor. In other words, the submission to the emperor became the focus of the centurion's life.

That's exactly the same as it should be in our lives as Christians. We can never forget that our submission is to a person. That person is Jesus, the Messiah. When we take communion on the first Sunday of every month, we are in a very real sense, remembering to whom it is that we submit. -Communion reminds us that a person took our place on the cross. -Communion reminds us that it was Jesus who hung on the cross instead of me. -Communion reminds us that a person-Jesus-willing gave His life, so I could live with God forever. -Communion isn't a ritual, it's a reminder that a person paid the ultimate sacrifice for each one of us, and therefore deserves our loyalty and submission.

B. Submission of…

But submission also means submission of our central will to the authority of Jesus. A Roman centurion submitted his will and his choice to his emperor. He ceased to have property or time or relations of his own. Jesus Christ expects no less from us. Look at this powerful verse…

Luke 14:26 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple.

Now, this isn't saying that if you commit to follow Jesus, you can no longer have love for your father, mother, wife, husband, child, or siblings. But what it means is that… …in every time of crisis, …in every commonplace happening of the day, …in every circumstance of your life, …if there should arise a conflict between what Jesus says and what father, mother, wife, husband, etc… wants or says to do…, …then Jesus must take pre-eminence, and the Kingdom of God comes first.

C. Submission for…

The third aspect of submission for the Roman centurion had to do with his submission for his work. A centurion led by example. -He drilled himself, then he drilled his men. -He marched into war, with his men following. -He practiced fighting, then taught his men to do as he did.

It's the same if we are going to be able to do a work for God. -We need to drill ourselves-study our Bibles and be able to use them. -We need to go to war by being godly in our professions, our community activities, and our day to day contact with people. -And we need to fight. We must defend truth by speaking up for it, we must be salt to preserve goodness and righteousness in our work place and neighborhoods, and we must be light that points people to a relationship with Jesus Christ. That's our job! And part of our credo must be that we submit our lives for that profession.

IV. Responsibility

A. Connection between submission and responsibility

"For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me."

The third leg of the credo is responsibility. There is a very intimate connection in this credo between submission and responsibility.

First, the centurion looks up to Rome and the emperor-that's his authority. He submits to that authority. After those two things, he carries out his responsibility to the 100 men he commands. In a very real sense, those men give him the purpose for his submission.

In the centurion's case, he empowers his men with the benefits of being citizens of Rome. The Centurion's job was to impress upon his men the superiority of Rome. This kingdom that he served, would benefit them greatly if they followed his lead and his devotion.

This is what the centurion saw in his contact with Jesus. Jesus' life was under perfect and absolute submission to the Father-and to His Father's Kingdom. Jesus said in…

John 4:34 34 "My food, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

And men, this has to be our heart cry and passion as well. By submitting to God's authority in my life, I will receive the power to obey His commands, I will receive the power to overcome evil and inconsistency in my life, and I will receive power to touch those whom God has given me to influence.

So, if you have decided upon God Almighty as your authority, and have submitted your will to be under His authority, then the final leg of the stool is you have to take the responsibility to begin ruling.

B. Aaron Burr illustration

The body of Aaron Burr is buried in the cemetery at Princeton University. He was a colonel in the Continental Army and became a vice President of these United States. His father, Rev. Aaron Burr was a godly man, a pastor, and the second president of Princeton University. And Burr's grandfather was one of the key figures in the First Great Awakening revival in the United States-a man by the name of Jonathan Edwards.

Aaron Burr had a pedigree and background of leadership and Christianity like few people could hope for. But there was one problem in his life-he never committed his life to the authority of God, and because of that, developed a serious character flaw of lacking self-control.

Burr distinguished himself in the early years of the Revolutionary War. So much so, that he was placed on General George Washington's staff of advisors. But because he could not control his temper or his mouth, he was soon transferred because General Washington had no time for his constant opinions and his criticism of the other officers.

After the war, his legal brilliance war recognized. He was elected to the New York State Assembly and later appointed the state's attorney general. At age 35, he was elected to the United States Senate. And in 1800, he was nominated as Vice President on Thomas Jefferson's ticket.

Through an odd blunder in the electoral process, Burr received as many electoral votes to become president as Thomas Jefferson did. And that put the decision to elect the President on the shoulders of the House of Representatives.

Through the determined leadership of one of the members of the House, a man by the name of Alexander Hamilton, Burr was rejected and Thomas Jefferson was officially elected President of the United States, and Burr had to settle for the Vice President's position.

Jefferson never trusted Burr, and during his entire administration, never let Burr into the inner circle of advisors that surrounded the President's office. So, Burr tried to bully his way to more power, and Alexander Hamilton again used his influence in congress to portray Burr as a "dangerous man". This infuriated Aaron Burr, and this led to him challenging Hamilton to a duel.

In that famous duel, Burr shot Hamilton, and killed him. But something died in Burr that day as well. You see, from that day on, Burr became a social outcast and a political pariah. No one wanted anything to do with him. So he went to Europe, where he wandered for years from country to country.

Finally, Burr returned to New York in disguise. He lived the remainder of his final 22 years of life in obscurity. When he died, his body was transported to Princeton where it was buried near his godly father and grandfather.

Friends, I grieve when I tell that story. Here is one of the brightest men who ever graduated from Princeton, a brilliant lawyer, politician and military hero. Yet he couldn't control himself. Instead of following in the godly footsteps of his father and grandfather, Aaron Burr chose his own method of self-control and failed miserably.

Our responsibility for ruling has got to start with our own lives. Men, and women… we must control our actions, emotions, and our desires by a will that says, "I want to live for God. I want to be governed by God, not governed by me."

Then, as you rule your own life with that commitment, God will give you the opportunities to influence your family, this church, and those people that are in your unique circles of influence. The territory of your influence will be increased proportionately to your desire to live to serve God-His way, not your way.

VI. Conclusion

I'm going to ask you all, but especially you men, this morning to answer three questions in your mind right now.

1. Who is your authority? It is either God, or it's the devil. There is no half way. If there is a half way in your life, then by default, you've decided to follow the prince of this world, and not the King of Heaven. God says very clearly in

Revelation 3:15-16 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

2. Have you submitted? The authority to whom you submit is the authority you will exercise. If you submit to God you will exercise His authority in your life and your influence. Your world will reap the benefits of your commitment. But if you haven't submitted to God, then you have by default, submitted to the devil. And your influence will be the devil's influence on your family, your place of employment, your neighborhood and with your friends.

3. Who are you influencing? Are you influencing yourself by developing self-control. Are your children or grandchildren or great grandchildren being influenced by your obedience to Jesus Christ? Do your co-workers or the people in your neighborhood see in you a personal godliness that would attract them to the Savior?

On the front of your copy of "This Week" is a quote from one of my favorite commentators, a man by the name of G. Campbell Morgan. I think it sums up this morning's message for all of us…

"Are you serving that great Kingdom of God by crowning Christ? Then you are exerting the influence of that Kingdom and that Christ wherever you go. That which you are under, you transplant into that which you are over. Fathers and mothers, that is true of you. It is not the precept you utter, it is the throne before which you bend that you will see reproduced in your children."

Amen.