Father’s Day 2024

Biblical, Godly Fathers

ILLUST: FACTS in STATS - First to come to faith

Child - 5% of time family follows

Mother - 22%

Father - 93%

It is in the family environment led by a Christian dad that God does an incredible work. Satan knows and understands this. This why he has sought to destroy the family ever since the first family of Adam and Eve. And he takes direct aim at the father. Understand that if Satan can bring down the father, he can destroy the family.

Culture is thinking they have the answers to the problem in the family

We know the Bible is THE answer

The importance of the FATHER in the family

Ladies and kids here, pray for the fathers here

And let’s remember those who may be mourning fathers who have passed, or fathers who have suffered loss…

Biblical, Godly Fathers

Men, if you WANT to grow into the father God desires - The Bible lays out what it looks like

Men if you do NOT want this, please at least pray for those here who do

Today is about - Just opening God’s Word and letting Him speak to you, to us, today

So much of this is also directed at mothers, just so you don’t get bored and check out :)

(This is not hard to preach, it’s God’s Word, not mine)

GODLY FATHERS ARE COMMANDED TO BE

Available

Deut. 6:6-7

Morning, noon, night

Biblical, Godly dads should be “always on” - that comes with being the leader

Instructors/Involved

Proverbs 1:8 NASB95

Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;

(READ verses 7-9)

Fathers are instructors/teachers

Great instructors are the best learners, first.

Instructing = DIRECTING

Leading in the process of teaching

Teaching is easy… if you teach kids to just succeed in the world, like the world…

TEACHING WHAT?

Scripture

The Biblical worldview

Teach sons how to be a godly believer, husband and then father (in that order)

Teach daughters what to look for in a godly man as deciding to marry

Teach children what culture is, what culture does, and why culture needs godly wives and mothers

Teach your kids, especially your sons, to respect their mother

Training

Proverbs 22:6 NASB95

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

From early age - train, spiritually

THEN…

Fathers help their children discover and use their gifts and strengths, for the glory of the LORD

We’ll get kids to baseball, football, shooting, dance, cheer, music, hunting, fishing…

Why aren’t we just as interested in their SPIRITUAL training? WHY??

(Voddie quote - bulletin)

They need YOUR spiritual encouragement to desire to live for the LORD

Disciplining

Proverbs 19:18 NASB95

Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death.

Kids don’t just “turn out OK”

If you are not disciplining them, then they will learn what the world wants them to learn

So, YOUR kids are the ones who obey first time, they look weird to the world - OK!

So, YOUR kids are the ones who’d know they need to be at church rather than some other activity - YEP! - WHY DO YOU GIVE THEM THE CHOICE???

Nurturing

Hard for Dads? Easy for grandfathers?

Ephesians 6:4 NASB95

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

That environment of continual support (verbal, physical, emotional)

Freedom to fail

Acceptance, Affection

Nurturing directly affects the brain development, especially at early ages

Don’t wait to be a g’father to nurture

Modeling life with Integrity

Integrity = living what you say

Modeling the behavior you desire to see in your sons and daughters

(You must decide what that behavior is)

Proverbs 10:9 NASB95

He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out.

God knows your heart

Your children KNOW, too - they DO

And when you mess up, you hit your knees before the LORD and cry out

Your family will be stronger as a result

Focus on Inner Strength

A heart for the LORD

Proverbs 2:6–7 NASB95

For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Truth - a Godly, Biblical man, who trusts in the LORD for strength - he is attractive to Godly, Biblical women (who else do you want to be attractive to?)

Strong men have a sincere, sold-out heart for the LORD

Not “beat your chest” look at me strong...

Strong men cry when broken by their sin

Strong men are stronger when they let the LORD build them up, be their strength

1 Timothy 4:8 NASB95

for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

But what is truly attractive to your wife is the INNER strength of a man who loves the LORD

Because that strength is the yielding to the Holy Spirit

A father who loves the LORD - MORE than he loves his wife and children (and toys)

That is an amazingly attractive man

Focus on the spiritual!

This strength NEVER fades - NEVER

HUGE - FOR FATHERS, and ALL OF US

Be forgiving

Fathers - your children will likely hurt you

Your wives might mess up

Men - You will get plentiful opportunities to forgive; people will anger you…

All of us - forgiveness is most difficult, and most important aspect of a faithful Christian walk

Let go of the grudge you hold…

To not forgive, knowing that Jesus told us to forgive, is to tell Jesus NO

IF you strive to do all these, to be the Godly father - wouldn’t it be nice to have an example?

Jesus demonstrated every one of these

Available, Involved, instructing, training, disciplining, nurturing, integrity, forgiving…

Aren’t you glad He did?

Especially the forgiving one?

He forgave, and it was not easy

Ask Him, and He says YES

It took work for Him to forgive - He finished that work on the cross

So…why don’t all fathers strive for all this biblical excellence in Biblical fatherhood?

I don’t know, neither do you

The only one you can work on directly is you - so start there

Fathers who are working hard at this - please, prayerfully keep going

These all help you grow, spiritually, closer to the LORD

And yes, your children know if this is you

AND…FINALLY, for fathers who truly desire to raise Godly children, the NUMBER ONE aspect of your life, that children (all ages) see EVERY day…

Love Your Wife

…the mother of your children

First, passionately pursue Christ

Second, love your wife through Biblical love - selflessness

Then, love your children

TRUTH - You CANNOT Biblically love your children if you do not first love the LORD and then your wife

And all of this - All of this, is very hard work

And when you try hard, you’ll have days - feel like you can’t do enough, can’t be enough, that you are not enough, and the LORD says:

Don’t Lose Heart

2 Corinthians 4:16–17 NASB95

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

There are days:

The home is chaos

The world is wicked

And you are right in the middle of it all

Trying to love your wife and raise up Godly children

Yahweh is right there to renew your strength

Need strength? - It’s available

Need help? His hand is outstretched

It’s good to work hard at this “father” thing

Just work God’s way, and He’ll make that work much easier

And eternally fulfilling - He promises!

The glory awaiting the Godly father - beyond all comparison!