www.todaysword.org 706.564.5271 Elder Rick Pina

Sharing a Living Faith with a dying and decaying world.

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Learning Lessons from a Godly Father Elder R.M. Piña Sr.

What is a good Dad like?

I was born in East New York, Brooklyn,

My future did not look great, I would be raised in the ghetto,

What would be my fate?

I remember growing up poor, But we always seemed to have enough to eat,

I was never really so hungry that I needed more, And my Momma always seemed to have, for me, a treat.

When I was three years old my Dad left,

My Momma did not really know what to do, It was almost as if our future was theft,

We were uncertain of what we would have to go through.

I will admit that it was not always easy, Living in a foreign country can be hard to strangers,

My Momma was often looking for relief, Growing up in Brooklyn was full of dangers.

But my mother was a praying woman,

And I know we made it, by God’s Grace, She often times had to be my Mother and Father,

And keep me continually in Jesus’ face.

God honored her prayers and kept us at peace, And blessed us in the presence of our enemies,

So I learned from my mother, to in God, find relief, And serve Him for the whole wide world to see.

My Dad was not there for me while I was growing up,

He wasn’t there when I was learning to ride a bike, He wasn’t there when I had my first fight,

I often wondered, what is a good Dad like?

My natural father died some years ago, Without me ever really knowing His delight,

Never was he able, to me, his true love show, So what is a good Dad like?

August 27th, of 1995,

Was the day, my life Christ, I gave, I learned then what it felt to have a Father’s Love,

And to know that, from trouble, He-Me, would save.

So what is a good Dad like you may ask, And the answer is quite simple you see,

The very best Dad that you could ever find, Will be my Dad, and your Dad, (if you’re a Christian) for eternity!

What is a good Dad like?

www.todaysword.org 706.564.5271 Elder Rick Pina

Sharing a Living Faith with a dying and decaying world.

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I shared that because, naturally speaking, I was not afforded the blessed opportunities of growing up with a loving Father, but I have a loving Father now. Those of us who Fathers today, have the opportunity to make the most of being a Father and Fathering the children God has blessed us with. I have two beautiful children: Ricardo jr. and Alyssa Chanel. God has blessed me with these children and if I were to neglect them, I would be neglecting GOD! Text: Mark 5:22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Background:

• Tell the story Identify with Jairus: *Preaching Principals, not People*

• He was a Ruler of the Syanagogue: It was his duty to select the readers or teachers in the synagogue, to examine the discourses of the public speakers, and to see that all things were done with decency and in accordance with ancestral usage.

o He was a Man of Position o He was a Man of Prestige o He was a Man of Power

• He could say GO and people went • He could say DO and people did

o There arose a situation in his life, however that he had not control over. • What do you do when a situation arises in your life that you have no control

over? Lessons: (1): (v.22) And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet.

www.todaysword.org 706.564.5271 Elder Rick Pina

Sharing a Living Faith with a dying and decaying world.

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Humble: There was a great multitude of people gathered by the sea. He had to humble himself to go before Jesus in front of everybody. In spite of what people might think of him and what they might say. He Humbled himself and went down to the sea shore. Condescended: This means to descend to a lower level. Application: We are often times taught that a man should be strong and a man should be mighty, but we need to expose a softer side of Manhood to our children. Boys are going to learn toughness, one way or the other, a big problem with many of our youth today is that they do not know that it is OK for a Man to cry. It is OK for a Man to be humble and lower himself before the sight of a MIGHTY GOD! (2): (v.22) And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet. Holy: When he (Jairus) saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He was humble, and he was holy, before a holy God. It did not matter that other people were there. It did not matter what they might say. He dropped to his feet and worshipped the Master. Consecration: To consecrate something means to set it apart for a purpose. He knew that before Jesus would hear his plea, he needed to be right. He fell at the Master’s feet and dedicated himself unto the Lord. Application: We can learn from Jairus the lesson of worship. It is OK for men to worship God. Often times women seem to enter the Holy of Holies and rest in God’s presence, while men fail to even pass the outer court. Jairus was Holy, Jairus Consecrated himself unto the Lord. If you want to be the Father that God has called you to be, learn some lessons from this Godly Father. Throw up your hands in surrender and loose the liberty of raising your children to your heavenly Father. This Godly Father was Humble, and he was Holy. He Condescended and he Consecrated himself. (3): (v.23) And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. Hurting: This Godly Father was hurt and he was not afraid to show it. He besought (pleaded, begged) Jesus greatly because His little daughter was lying at the point of death. Compassionate: He knew that there was nothing that he could do. He know all the preachers in town and also knew that there was nothing that they could do. His compassion for his daughter caused him to do something that he would not normally do. He did this, because he loved her. Application: We can learn some powerful lessons from this Godly Father today in that we need to be real with God when we are hurt and hurting. We need to be real with our children and loved ones. They want to know that Daddy is more that just a Stern Disciplinarian. They need to know you as a loving, caring, and Compassionate Father. (4): (v.23) And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. Hopeful: He was Humble, he was Holy, he was Hurting, but He was also HOPEFUL! He knew that although his situation looked Hopeless, Jesus could turn Hopeless

www.todaysword.org 706.564.5271 Elder Rick Pina

Sharing a Living Faith with a dying and decaying world.

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situations around. He knew that although the Physicians had failed, He Healer would not. He knew that when the world says NO – God say YES! He was still HOPEFUL! He was holding on to Hope, because that is all he had left! Confession: This Hope turned into Faith when he started to Confess biblical principals! He declared out of His mouth that if Jesus would lay His hands on his daughter, two things would happen:

1. She would be healed 2. She would LIVE!

www.todaysword.org 706.564.5271 Elder Rick Pina

Sharing a Living Faith with a dying and decaying world.

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Application: We can learn some lessons from this Godly Father today in that we should Hopeful in every situation. (COL 1:27) says, “Christ IN you, the HOPE of Glory!” It is a sad commentary when a child of God walks around with his head down. You children need to SEE HOPE in you and HEAR you CONFESS the LIFE and not DEATH. (Prov 18:21) says, “Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue.” We often times don’t understand what we are saying. Don’t EVER call your children STUPID. Don’t EVER tell them that they will never amount to anything. Remind them of what the Bible says. Confess the Word of God over their lives. Learn some lessons from this Godly Father Today! (5): (vv.25-34) The Woman with the issue of Blood Hindrance: In Jairus’ mind, time was of the essence. He was made the plea and Jesus was walking with Him. Things were going good. There he was with Jesus and the Disciples and then all of a sudden, Jesus asks the question, “Who touched me?” The disciples responded, “all these people here and you ask, who touched me?” The Bible does not mention what Jairus was doing at this time, but I am sure that he was growing impatient when this woman came and told the “whole” truth to Jesus. This was a blessing for the Woman, but could wind up being Hindrance for his daughter. (v.35) While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? Confusion: While Jesus was speaking telling the woman that she was healed, here comes someone from Jairus’ with the crushing news. SHE IS DEAD. Don’t even bother this man anymore.

o There is a space between Promise and Performance o There is a space between Confession and Completion

o And the adversary always tries to cause some Confusion in that SPACE Application: We can learn some lessons from this Godly Father today in that hindrances and confusion will be a part of our life and living. Jesus said in (John 16:33), These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. You are going to have to learn to deal with the situations that God permits to enter the arena of your life. Remember that whatever he Permits to enter the arena of your life -- He has Purpose wrapped up in! Review: So far, the Lessons we have learned from this Godly Father are that we need to:

o Be Humble o Be Holy o Deal with Hurting o Be Hopeful o Deal with Hindrances when they arise

We have also learned to: o Condescend ourselves o Consecrate ourselves o Be Compassionate o Speak Godly Confessions o Deal with Confusion

www.todaysword.org 706.564.5271 Elder Rick Pina

Sharing a Living Faith with a dying and decaying world.

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There are two (2) more lessons to learn from this Godly Father in the text: (6): (v.36) As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. Honest Report: Jesus looked beyond Jairus’ outward man and saw the fear he was facing. He had just received an ILL REPORT, but he had already made a POSITIVE CONFESSION. He had to now make a decision to either walk in FEAR or walk in FAITH. Jesus said, “Be not afraid” or in other words, don’t operate in FEAR – “only believe,” or in other words -- operate in FAITH!

o Fear moves satan o FAITH moves God

Courage: He was struggling with the decision. What should I do? The man with the ILL Report is saying not to even bother Jesus any longer, Jesus is saying, ONLY BELIEVE! It took some courage for Jairus to move past the ill report and take Jesus to the house. Application: The devil is going to do everything in his power to keep you from bringing Jesus to the HOUSE! Because he knows that once Jesus is in the HOUSE:

o The lame will walk o The blind will see o The dead will hear o The mute will speak o And the DEAD will LIVE

When JESUS is in the HOUSE! So we can learn a powerful lesson from the Godly Father in that we need to have the Courage operate in Faith and not Fear and bring Jesus into our every struggle! *Golden Nugget (vv.37-40) And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

Application: Everybody can’t handle a miracle! Jesus had times that we spent with the 5,000. He had times that he spent with the 70. He had times that he spent with the 12. But when he was about to do something BIG – he only took 3!

o Also, when he got to the house, he had kick some people out there too. They where laughing at Jesus and what he had planned to do in the name of the Lord.

o So when you need a BIG breakthrough. o When you child is laying on their death bed. o When someone in your family has CANCER.

o You can’t go to too many people. In these situations you need strong believers to touch and agree with YOU!

www.todaysword.org 706.564.5271 Elder Rick Pina

Sharing a Living Faith with a dying and decaying world.

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(7): (vv.41-43) And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. Healing: God honors FAITH. Remember what Jairus CONFESSED , “come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live!” Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead without ever laying his hands on him. But in this case, God had agreed with Jairus’ confession and the healing would only come in accordance with that agreement! Jesus:

o 1st took her by the hand o 2nd spoke life back into her

Completion: Completion came because Jairus had the Courage to overcome the Confusion, so there could be a Completion to his Confession! Application: You too will receive your Healing and your Completion, when you have the Courage to move behind your Hindrances and Confusion! America had been plagued with absentee fathers. On today God give us a word of encouragement and answers my question: What is good Dad like? A good Dad is one who: Humble Condescends Holy Consecrates himself Understands its OK to be Hurting Compassionate Hopeful Makes Positive Confessions Overcomes Hindrances Overcomes Confusion Believes the Honest Report Courage Receives Healing Completion Are you a Good Dad today? Look at your neighbor and say: “Neighbor, have you learned some lessons today, from a Godly Father? If not… you sure missed it, because I DID! Learning Lessons from a Godly Father!