Notes of Faith May 26, 2026
Pastor’s Pen Pulpit Father’s Day
June 15, 2003
ELEMENTS OF A FATHER’S FAITH
Hebrews 11:8-10
What is a father? Here are some definitions I have found:
• A father is someone who carries pictures where his money used to be.
• From an 8-year-old, “He can climb the highest mountain or swim the deepest ocean. He can fly the fastest plane and fight the strongest tiger. My father can do anything. But most of the time he just carries out the garbage.”
• In response to the question “What is Father’s Day? A small boy answered, “It’s just like Mother’s Day only you don’t spend so much.”
• A father is a person who is forced to endure childbirth without anesthetic. A father never feels worthy of the worship in a child’s eyes. He’s never quite the hero his daughter thinks, never quite the man his son believes him to be – and this worries him, sometimes. He works too hard to try to smooth the rough places in the road for those of his own who will follow him. Fathers are those who give daughters away to other men who aren’t nearly good enough, so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anyone else’s!
Let’s take a look at a father who left more than sentimental memories or a substantial insurance policy behind to remember him by. One of the most famous fathers of all time was FATHER ABRAHAM. He left a legacy that made him famous- a legacy more precious than anything. He left the legacy of faith. In Genesis 12: 1-3 God promised to make this man’s name great, and He did. The greatness of this father is seen in three ways:
(1) He was a natural father – the father of a miracle son who would give substantial identity to the Messianic line through Jacob and his twelve sons.
(2) He was a national father – who became the progenitor of two great classes of people – the Arab nation and the Jewish nation
(3) He was a spiritual father – the father of all faithful (Gal. 3:7-9).
There are fourteen chapters in Genesis given to the history of this man. However, three verses in Hebrews summarize his spiritual history.
Abraham had a faith that acted upon God’s revelation to him. “By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8
Abraham had a faith that was willing to venture out upon God’s personal message to him. In Genesis 12:1-3 we read that God told Abraham to leave his country, his relatives, and his father’s house to go to an unknown land which God would show him. How many of us would do that?
Two aspects of Abraham’s faith that are an example to us are:
• Recognition of God’s authority – Abraham recognized God’s call upon his life just as child recognizes the voice of his parents or sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd (John 10:27). It is good to become familiar with God’s voice in God’s Word. Just remember that God is able to speak loud enough for a willing heart to hear.
• Submission to God’s authority - This submission is proved by his “going out.” Abraham not only recognized God’s call upon his life, he also recognized God’s right to make that call. Abraham was absolutely ignorant as to the direction God had for him. His obedience was not conditioned upon knowledge of certain facts regarding the future. God will not call you to do what He called Abraham to do. The point is that Abraham did what God told him to do! “Going out” for the believer is acting upon God’s Word. Some of us want to test the water to see if it’s warm enough – when in fact God has made it very clear that we should move ahead.
Abraham had a faith that adjusted to his circumstances. “By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.” Hebrews 11:9
Abraham was not given a time limit as to how long he would be in this strange land that God had promised to him. He lived as an alien in a foreign country and because of that, he learned to adjust to those people and to that environment. Throughout his life in that land, he learned to adjust to one situation after another.
(1) He learned to adjust to the mediocrity of just living life every day without seeing a lot of spice and variety in his life.
(2) He learned to adjust to the disappointment of not being able to father a child.
(3) He learned to adjust to the unbearable waiting on God to fulfill His promise of a Son.
(4) He learned to adjust to the shock of seemingly having those hopes dashed to pieces as God told him to kill the only son of promise.
For believers the life of faith is a life of constantly having to adjust to the twists and turns and dead ends of life. Our society makes it very difficult to do this. Growing up, marriage, moving, having children, not having enough money to go around, failing health, loss of a loved one are just a few of the areas that we may be asked to adjust to. Here are some secrets to adjusting to life’s changes -
*Learning to be content where you are – Philippians 4:1-13
*Learning to be content with what you have – Hebrews 13:5, 6
*The secret of learning these lessons is doing it in God’s strength and with His help.
Abraham had a faith that anticipated the good hand of God. “For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:10
Undergirding all of Abraham’s life, from the time of his call until his death, was a hope and a promise that transcended time. The Heavenly Jerusalem was a concept with which all Jews were acquainted (Hebrews 12:22; 13:14; Galatians 4:26). Abraham had a hope that kept him in balance regarding the things of this age and the things of eternity, and we have this same hope when we come in faith to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:18-25; I Peter 1:3-9).
Let me ask you today: Do you have the faith that kept Abraham going? Maybe none of us do – but we can sure work on it. The answer is to stay in God’s Word and allow it to speak to you. God bless and have a wonderful Father’s Day!
Love to you all,
Pastor Charles Covington
Luke 11:9-13
9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. 11 "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
Those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ do not need more of the Holy Spirit for He dwells within the believer and follower of Jesus! But every believer in Jesus can surrender more of his will to the leading of the Spirit…therefore, I will ask my Heavenly Father to use His Spirit within me, to supply me with greater than mustard seed faith, empowering me to do His will at all times, in all things, always bringing glory to His name! I can’t wait for God’s answer to this prayer!
Pastor Dale