Father's Day 2026

Welcome to Family Worship Center!
Please feel free to contact us!

Lead Pastors, Philip & Kayla Keller
Give: www.versaillesfwc.com/give

Copyright License #1166662
Streaming License #21197931

www.versaillesfwc.com
701 S 2nd Street Versailles, MO 65084
(573) 378-4484

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Come on. Lift up a shout of praise to the Lord, the King of Kings. Father, we praise you today, God. Father, we just pray over the word that you have given us for today, God. We pray over all the fathers that are here. We pray over every person represented here today, God. Family that's represented here today, God. And we pray that you'd open up our hearts. And Father, as we get into your word and we open your word, Father, that it would speak to us, God. And then you would show up in just a strong, powerful way, Father. And we thank you and we praise you and ask all these things in Jesus' name. And the church said, Amen. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. And can we just give God another hand clap of praise? Amen. We're so thankful that you are here today. And we do want to say happy Father's Day again to everyone. We're so glad that you were able to join us here today, a family worship center. It's been a good day in God's house. Amen. And I don't know if you were able to make it here early or not, but one of the things we did for Father's Day, we had donuts with dad back there. So we had donuts and coffee and things. And so if if you didn't get back there, let us know. Maybe we can find a couple donuts left over. I'm not sure. We'll we'll find something together. But anyways, it's been a good day in God's house. And today we tried something new. We had two services today. You might say, well, I came in in the middle of the first one or the the end of the last one, but today we had a service at 9 a.m. And then today is this service is 11 a.m. And so uh we're just so thankful for you uh kind of being patient with us as we're trying this out. And like Kayla said, uh if you wouldn't mind thinking about uh just giving us some feedback on how you felt about that and and what you know what it meant to you to have two services, if it was good, if it was bad, we'll take all of those comments, okay? Um we're just trying to figure out what kind of uh setup here works good as the church continues to grow. And and did everybody find a good parking spot there this service? Amen. That's that's a blessing. So I know some of our holiday services and things we have people parking at Pizza Hut, people can't find parking spots, and and so we want to try to fix those things without having to raise another fifty thousand dollars to build another parking lot, okay? And so those are kind of some alternatives that we've been trying, and so that's what we're doing, why we're doing this. I had overheard someone asking, well, why are we doing two services? That's why. We want everybody to feel comfortable, you know, to have your own space on your on your row and also to have a space to park in out there. So that's kind of why we why we did that. But today we're gonna we're gonna get into God's word and we're gonna spend some time talking about fathers and men because it's Father's Day. But I want everyone in the room to also know this it's not just for dads. This message is for moms, this message is for grandparents, this message is for uncles, this message is for aunts, mentors, teachers, uh it's for teenagers, leaders, anybody uh that is in this room today, you should be able to get something out of this sermon. And so we're excited because God has spoken just a powerful word today. And uh, how many of you know everyone that is here today? Maybe you don't realize this, but you are influencing somebody around you. Someone in your life is looking up to you. And so today's sermon title is this we're gonna be talking about setting the tone. Look at your neighbor and say, Setting the tone. And I believe every one of us, we're setting a tone somewhere, wherever we are. If that's at home, if that's at our job, if that's with our friend group, if it's at school, wherever we are, we're helping set a tone, we're helping create an atmosphere, we're helping um set the place up for what's important, what what's going on, what are our priorities, and things like that. How many of you have been somewhere before that the tone in the room was off? Anyone ever been there? You're like, man, there's something weird about this place or weird about what's going on here, okay? And uh, how many of you grew up with a mom or dad, depending on what was going on, they could change the tone of the conversation real quick. I better look the other way. People are looking at moms and dads. But I know that I did, okay? And so depending on if I was in trouble or depending on if I did something good or if I did something bad, they could change the tone of the conversation really quick. So the question is not if you're setting a tone, the question is this what tone are you setting? Okay, and so we're going to go to Joshua chapter 24, verse 15, and we're going to read what Joshua says here. He says, But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua understood something powerful. Before a family can serve the Lord, somebody has to set the tone, amen. Before a nation can serve the Lord, somebody has to set the tone, amen. Before a church can serve the Lord, somebody has to set the tone. And so before our children follow God, somebody must show them what following God looks like. So as we get into this message, we just want to encourage you, let the Lord speak to your heart, let the Lord show you something out of this message today. And uh as I was putting this together, I I had to think about. For me, I'm a musician and I've been playing guitar specifically my main instrument uh since I was 12 years old, okay? And and so let me do the math on that real quick. 27 years, okay, of playing the guitar, okay. I've aged myself a little bit. But um on the guitar, one of the most important things that you learn and that you want as someone who plays an instrument is your tone. You want to set up your amp and your pedals and all the things, and even your knobs, and you want to get the volume and the settings and everything the way that you want to hear it, the way that you want to uh get it set up. And tone is made up of volumes and settings, and tone is character and color and even personality of the sound. And depending on how serious you are, it is something that can take a lot of time to tune in just right for the sound that you are looking for. It requires a lot of attention, patience, listening, but also decision making. If you know what you want, you don't settle for something different. So we're gonna start off today. Our first point is this as we're talking about setting the tone and getting into God's word today. The first point is this God has called us to lead. God has called us to lead. We talked about how Joshua set the tone in Joshua 24, 15, saying, As for me in my house, we will serve the Lord. We want to go to 1 Corinthians chapter 16, verses 13. And this is what it says be on guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. God has a purpose for us, amen. Men, women, every boy, and every girl, you have a God-designed purpose on your life. Each one of us, we have a special calling, but we also have a godly purpose for men. It's not necessarily to be dominant and intimidate and to control, but to lead. Can I get an amen right there? To guard, to protect, to serve, to sacrifice, to stand firm. See, the greatest leaders in scripture weren't known for how many people followed them. They were known for how many people that they served. And and Jesus himself modeled servant leadership in Mark chapter 10, verse 45. It says, For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve. See, leadership isn't about authority, leadership is about responsibility. One of the things that I love about this church is that we have men who stand at the front of the church and help greet people and open doors. And if there's individuals who need help coming inside, they help them and they greet people with a smile and a handshake. And before you even walk into this building, there is a tone set. Come on, somebody. Maybe we had too many donuts. But before you even get in the building, a tone is set. Hey, we are family. Welcome. We are here to serve you. And as men, as fathers, as husbands, grandfathers, uncles, mentors, spiritual leaders, God has entrusted us with influence. The atmosphere of many homes rise and falls on the spiritual condition of those who are leading. So here's the big question: What tone are we setting when the next generation watches us? I think about my six-year-old daughter when she watches her mom and dad. What tone are we setting for her life? How are we teaching her? How are we leading her? Are we showing her how to live a life for Christ? Do they see the next generation? See faith? Do they see a passion for life? Do they see and hear and understand what a relationship with Jesus Christ is? Or are they seeing something else? See, this isn't just for dads or men, though that's kind of what the focus is today for Father's Day, but it's for anyone who is leading. I don't want to overlook the moms who have to step up for whatever reason, the grandparents who have to step up for whatever reason. Maybe mom or dad can't be present. Maybe it's an aunt or an uncle or a guardian or a caretaker. But the question is: do they see your prayer life? Do they hear your worship? Do they see church attendance? And is it important? He goes further than just all these Christian things. Do they see integrity? How many of you know in 2026 it's still important? We have integrity, amen. Are they learning respect and honor? Are they learning morals and values? Let me jump on the soapbox for just a moment. I know some of you want to jump on there with me. We could preach on this for a while, but that's a good old thing that we used to call good common sense. You might ask, well, who am I leading? Who am I teaching? What are you talking about this morning? Look around. There's probably someone who is shorter than you, younger than you, watching you. What are they watching? What are they seeing? So this leads us to point number two, which is where you are matters. Look at your neighbor and say, where you are matters. This speaks to showing up, it speaks to spending time, it speaks with being with your family and being present, but it speaks to even more. And I want to go to 2 Samuel chapter 11, where we're going to talk about King David. And we're not going to read a whole lot into this verse, but a lot of you will know this story. You'll know the scripture. And when we get to a certain part, because we do have kids in here with us today, we're going to kind of just pause. Um, but I want to read this because it's very important. It goes with this point so well. And I believe God is speaking to some people concerning some of this. And so 2 Samuel chapter 11, verses 1 and 2 says, in the spring of the year when kings normally go out to war. Well, you might say, Well, that's just the beginning of the chapter. Well, the beginning of the chapter is important. Every word in the Word of God is important. And so we want to focus in on what is actually happening. I think sometimes people overlook parts of the Bible that has a lot more meaning to it than what you're giving attention to. In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and Israelite army to fight the Ammonites, and they destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabba. And however, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon after his midday rest. David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. And he looked out over the city and he noticed a woman of unusual beauty. We're going to pause right there. How many of y'all know the rest of the story? Okay. If you don't know the story, go read it this afternoon. But David decides to be with this married woman he sees. Her name's Bathsheba. And when he finds out that they are having a baby, he sends orders to put her husband Uriah on the front of the battle line so that he will be killed in battle. And it happens because of all of these sins and all these things going on. David repents before the Lord, but there, how many of you know there's still consequences to our sin? And so they lose this baby. And so all of these things begin to happen. David was not where he was supposed to be. David should have been on the battlefield. Instead, he was on a rooftop. Where he was mattered. And before David was in the wrong place physically, he must have got into the wrong place spiritually. You might consider the idea that he was drifting spiritually. You don't accidentally just commit adultery. You don't accidentally just orchestrate a murder. Something had already begun to shift in David's heart and where he was spiritually mattered. See, the closer we are to God, the holier our life is. David thought that he was just standing on a rooftop. But where he was mattered. Because that rooftop led to adultery, Uriah's death and the loss of a child. And if you read Psalms chapter 51, it gives us this insight to what David is going through. And the whole thing is about the brokenness of all these things happening. And David thought he was enjoying a quiet evening. He had no idea that he was standing at the crossroads that would affect not only him, but generations to come. And that's powerful if we think about it. Because the tone of your future is often determined by where you are today. David wasn't where he was supposed to be. While his men were fighting, David was resting. While his soldiers were sacrificing, David was relaxing. One decision changed everything. Sin will always take us further than we wanted to go. Many people maybe don't realize that they're running from God. Maybe they're not even doing it intentionally, but they're no longer close to him. And I'm here today to tell you that where you are matters. But what we tolerate today will have to deal with tomorrow. Can I get an amen right there? David struggled with this lust and temptation and fell into the sin of adultery. And his son Solomon multiplied this struggle in a chaotic way. The Bible says he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Sometimes what a father tolerates becomes what a son exaggerates. Solomon had influence. Yet, because of this struggle you could say was probably passed down from his father. The struggle. So think about this. What one generation compromises, the next generation often normalizes. It's a lot of the reason that we are in the situation we are in our culture, in our country, and the world that we live in today. Because we've compromised so much. And now the compromises have become normal. What are we teaching the next generation? Not just by our words, but by our priorities. What lessons are we leaving behind? I want to go to Deuteronomy for a moment in chapter 6, verse 6 through 7. And I want to read this to you because it's powerful. And this is what it says in Deuteronomy chapter 6. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly, not partially, not sometimes, not once a week, wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. See, faith was never intended for us to be for it to be outsourced. Faith was never intended for us to be something that we counted to get from someone else. We all need a little bit of faith. Can somebody say amen? God intended it to be modeled. And I know we live in America. I know we live in the land of the free. Like sometimes I joke around about, we have this Burger King mentality, you know, the old phrase of Burger King, you can have it your way. We we think we can just do whatever we want, we can have it our own way. And I need you to hear me this morning because I have a lot of experience in this area, but it's really important that we understand we're talking about being a mom or a dad or raising children or living in a home with your family. Pastors and church leadership are not responsible for raising your children, raising your teenagers, raising members of your family to be Christians. The church does play a great role in it. But parents raise children. Mom, dad, it's important you understand you are needed. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Don't compromise and think, oh well, the youth pastor or the senior pastor, the Sunday school teacher, this person. That I know as a Christian, they'll teach them. No, you need to teach them. Grandma, grandpa, you are needed. Don't let anyone tell you differently. And as a lot of you know, we have about 16 years of youth ministry experience. And so for 16 years, we ministered mostly to teenagers. And if I had a penny for every time that I had to have a conversation with a parent wanting to blame me for why their student got into trouble, wanting to know how I was gonna fix them, how I was gonna help them have better grades, or date someone that they approved of, or why they got in trouble with the law, or why they went through all these trials or committed these different sins or things that happened. If I had a penny for every time that that happened, I would have quite a few more dollars than I do now. But the point is this I have to let you know this. It's so important you understand this. No one else should be raising your children except for you. And what we tolerate today, we'll have to deal with tomorrow. The church isn't here to replace the family unit, but it's here to strengthen it. Can I get an amen? It's here to encourage it, it's here to help it, it's here to spur it on. Spiritually, we are family, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. But the church gets your family a few hours of the week. Your kids and your family, they live with you every day of the week. The church is needed, the church is important, the church makes a huge impact. But if we if what we do in here on a Sunday or on a Wednesday, what we do here at Family Worship Center, if we don't take it home with us, all we are doing is playing games. I know it's hard. I know it's not easy. I know the struggle is real. But as a kid who was raised in church, as a as a kid who was raised in a household of believers, my family, my parents, trust me, they were not perfect, they were far from it. But they tried. I can stand up here and I can testify that it's worth it. Don't throw in the towel, don't give up. Don't just, oh, I'm gonna leave them to the world, I'm gonna leave them to whoever finds them. I'm just I'm done with them, I'm gonna give up on them. Don't do that. Be on guard, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Can we give God some praise right there? Come on. And so God is asking us to set the tone, be where you need to be. Do what you need to do. Don't tolerate something today that will impact your tomorrow. So, point four is this staying close to God is the key to success. Staying close to God is the key to success. Success is not determined by talent and strength and money and influence and even wisdom. Spiritual success is staying close to God. People say, well, how have you been able to be faithful and to keep a uh uh a life of integrity and and and to to walk uh a path of of ministry that people respect and people look up to you, and and how have you been able to do that? It's because even though my world has fallen apart at different times in my life, I stayed close to God. That's the secret to success. It doesn't matter if the sky is falling, stay close to God. When God is the one your eyes are focused on, your life is built upon, then it's hard to get distracted by all the other things. It's when we make something else a priority, we choose alternative things. It's it's when we value success in something else. Over God, it brings failure instead of success. Samson, David, Solomon, Judas. We all know a lot of those stories. They're different stories, but there's different failures in each story, different priorities. Samson was strong physically, but weak with Delilah. Judas walked beside Jesus. He seen the miracles firsthand, but because of greed, he allowed that to rule his heart and make the decisions that he made. David was referred to as a man after God's own heart, but then he took his eyes off of his calling and his purpose and where he was supposed to be, and he put his eyes on Bathsheba. Solomon was the wisest man alive, but stopped guarding his heart. When we stay close to God, there's no room to drift, there's no room for compromise. And if we do fail, he helps us get right back up. We repent and we move on. See, the key to success for anyone, any man, any dad, any grandpa, staying close to God. This is why the enemy attacks men a lot. Many men wake up every day and they feel like they're carrying responsibilities that nobody else sees, and they don't really want to talk about it. If it's paying the bills or protecting their family or being a good husband or raising their children the right way, making the right decisions, holding everything together. And the problem is that many men feel they have to carry all that weight alone. Eighty percent of men experience stress and anxiety and depression. Sixty percent of men say they have never spoke to anyone about how they feel. See, the enemy knows that if he can get a man's attention, he can eventually distract him. A distracted man eventually becomes a compromised man. Hebrews 2:1 warns us we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. The greatest danger for a man is distance from God. Because when a man stays close to God, he leads differently, he loves differently, he lives differently. Your family does not need a perfect man. They don't need a man who has all the answers, they need a man who knows where to find the answers. They don't need a man who never struggles, they need a man who knows how to run to God in the middle of the struggle. I want to read this to you. It's so powerful. Proverbs chapter 4, verse 23. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Samson didn't guard his heart, David didn't guard his eyes, Solomon didn't guard his affections. The key to success is not becoming more important. The key success to success is becoming more dependent on God. The key to success is staying close to God. Because the closer you stay to God, the harder it is for anything to take his place. It's time for some good news this morning. How many of y'all are ready for some good news? The next point is this the good news is that God restores. How many of you are thankful that our God is a God of restoration? Amen. See, this is where the story changes. Because the Bible isn't a book about perfect people, it's a book about a perfect savior. You see, Jonah, he ran, but God pursued him. Peter failed, but Jesus restored him. The prodigal son left, but the father welcomed him home. David sinned, but David repented. People fail. People drift. People make mistakes, but God never stops pursuing. So the message today is not try harder, be better, do more. The message is come closer to God. Because the answer has always been Jesus. Jesus makes a way where there seems to be no way. Through Jesus, there's forgiveness. Through Jesus, there's restoration. Through Jesus, there is healing. Through Jesus, there is a new beginning. I want you to listen to me this morning as we're getting close to the end of this sermon. I want you to hear some of these things because God is trying to speak to someone this morning. He wants you to hear what it is he's trying to say to your heart. The enemy wants you to believe that your failure is your identity. He wants you to focus on it. He wants you to think about the failures. And this is just who you are. But God wants you to know that your identity is in Him, not your failure. Jesus says, Your failure is not the end of your story. The enemy says that you've gone too far, but Jesus says, My grace is sufficient. The enemy says, You'll never change. Jesus says, Behold, I'm going to make all things new. The enemy says, You're disqualified. Jesus says, Come to me. See, the cross proves that God isn't looking for reasons to reject people. The cross proves that God is looking to redeem people. If God can restore Peter after his denial, if God can restore David after his failures, if God can restore Jonah after running from God, literally the opposite direction of where God called him, he can restore you and me. Can we give him some praise today? Come on. This scripture is very prophetic, and I and I love to just claim it and believe it, but I want you to read Joel chapter 2, verse 25. It says this I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten. That means God can restore what sin stole, what fear stole, what regret stole, what the enemy might have stolen, what bad decisions might have stolen, maybe not exactly the way it was before, but often stronger, wiser, deeper, and more surrendered than before. Because restoration isn't just getting back to what you lost. Restoration is God taking broken pieces and creating something beautiful and new. Maybe you're here today and you're a father and you feel like a failure. Maybe you're here today and you're a mother carrying regret. Maybe you're a teenager who has drifted from their relationship with God. Maybe you're a child who has been hurt. Uh, maybe Father's Day is joyful for you. Maybe for a lot of us, uh, you're here today and you're thinking, man, Father's Day is painful for me. I want you to know this. Every person in this room today has access to a perfect heavenly father. And can I just echo the song that we were singing earlier? He's a good, good father. As the band begins to come and begins to play something softly, I want to speak this over you. I want you to claim this today. I want you to think about how this is for you. I want you to apply it to your life today. Listen to this as they're moving up here. Don't be distracted. The tone of your future does not have to be determined by the mistakes of your past. He is patient when we're stubborn. He is faithful when we're inconsistent. He is loving when we're unlovable. He is present when others walk away. His arms are still open to us. His grace is still available. His mercy is still new every morning. And no matter how far you've wandered, one step towards him can change everything. And so I want us to bow our heads and just to close our eyes. And I want us just to be honest with the Lord today. Can we do that? Can we be real with him? Can we be just who we are? No, no masks, no walls. We're hiding behind. Nothing keeping us from just being real with God, just us and the Father. God, I just come before you today and I thank you for this church. I thank you for the opportunity to speak your word. And God, I know under the sound of my voice, someone has been encouraged. I know someone has felt like you are speaking to them today. And so, God, I pray as we move into this time of prayer and just worship God that we would not be afraid to surrender. We would not be afraid to respond. We would not be afraid to just get alone with you and pray and to be sincere about it, God. I pray that anything that's in the way would get torn down. Anything in the way would move, God, because we want you to have your way in the service and we want you to move in our lives right now. In Jesus' name, we pray with every head bowed, every eye closed. If you're here today and the Lord is speaking to you, maybe you don't have a relationship with Christ and you're here today and God's speaking to you. You feel the love. Maybe it was from the moment you came in the parking lot. Maybe it was when you were walking in and someone greeted you. Maybe it was during one of those songs, maybe it was during a scripture that we read. Maybe it's right now as you're getting quiet and you're just focusing in on prayer. If you're here today and and and you're far from God, but you know you need him, you need to surrender some things to him. You need to ask him into your heart, ask him into your life. If that's you, nobody looking around. Would you just slip up your hand and say, That's me, I need Jesus today? That's me, I need to ask God into my heart. That's me, I need to ask Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of my life. Just slip up your hand and say, That's me. Maybe you're here today. You're trying to be the best parent you can be, you're trying to be the best dad you can be, you're trying to lead your household, your family, you're trying to be the best mom you can be, you're trying to be the best grandparent you can be. But you need God's help leading. You need his guidance if that's you today. And you're needing a little encouragement, you're needing God to just come by and help you. Would you just show him that that's you? Would you just show him that that you're listening today? Would you just respond by lifting up your hand real quick? Nobody looking around, nobody talking, nobody judging anyone. Thank you for those hands. God sees you today. Maybe you're here this morning and this idea setting the tone. Maybe you're here and you're like, you know what? I need the tone in my household to shift. I need the tone to change. I need to have the confidence to make some changes and stand up for what's right, to stand firm, to listen to this sermon and apply it. I need God to help me to be the man of God He's called me to be. I need God to help me to be the woman of God He's called me to be. If that's you today and you recognize that the tone needs to change, would you just slip up your hand and say, God, that's me. God, that's my house, God, that's my family. Thank you for those hands. I'm gonna ask you to stand to your feet. And if you wouldn't mind grabbing the hand of the person next to you, just want us to link up with some friends or family people who are with us on the same road. I want us just to pray together. I want to say a blessing over you, and then we're gonna sing a chorus a couple times before we dismiss. But I want you to just really tune in on this. Ask God to change the tone, to help you set the tone, to help you fix your eyes upon Him. As we pray, I want you to pray for one another and pray for our church. Pray for the families that are represented here today, pray for the dads that are here today. Let's just pray together right now. Father, I thank you for your grace and your mercy. God, I thank you for every family that is represented here today. God, help us set the tone, God. Help us keep our eyes on you. Help us see what's right and what's wrong. God, help us see, God, blessings instead of cursings, God. Help us deal with the things we need to deal with so they won't come back later to haunt us, Father God. I pray that you would help us stand up and be courageous and to be strong, to be the man of God we're called to be, to be the woman of God we're called to be, God. Help us lead our houses, our families, God. Help us be everything you've called us to be, God. And as you're speaking over us, God, I just pray for blessings. I pray for the window of heaven to be opened up over this congregation and over this church, God, that you'd pour out your blessings on them. Father God, that we would just surrender to you the areas that need to be surrendered. And God, we would trust you, that you are our God, and that's for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. We ask all these things in Jesus' name we pray. And the church said, Amen. Church, give God a hand clap of praise this morning. Come on.