Father's Day 2024

1 Timothy 6:6-12

A Present Father is a Gift of God. A godly father, a father that is involved in a families life… is a gift from God.

It is the plan of God… and it is a gift from God.

We are not going to leave out dads today… We are going to honor our godly fathers… because a father, who is there… Is a daddy who is changing the world.

As some of our great leaders have observed:

“It has been said that as goes the family, so goes the world. It can also be said that as goes the father, so goes the family.”― Voddie T. Baucham Jr.,

All great change in America begins at the dinner table.

A father who is involved in a child’s life, influencing a child’s life for God… is worth more than a hundred teachers.

Today, as we are looking at the text… I want dads to see from this text and from the others that we will read… we must see the priority of fatherhood, the importance of it, and the deception that takes place.

From Scripture, we can clearly see Five fatherly responsibilities that God has assumed toward His children:

God, the Heavenly Father: 1. God provides for us (Phil. 4:19). 2. God protects (Mt. 10:29-31). 3. God encourages us (Psm. 10:17). 4. God comforts us (2 Cor. 1:3-4). 5. God disciplines us (Heb. 12:10).

Many fathers will look at the first 2 and say “Amen!” It is inside of us, godly men, to be good providers and good protectors.

Many good and godly fathers stress over being great providers. We stress over these things. We feel like failures when we struggle financially or when we can’t control or fix a family situation.

Godly men, godly fathers, desire to work hard for their families… and this is a good thing… if our godliness is also mixed with contentment.

People who love money, are consumed with money, and are never content.

Verse 7-10 - Sin is the root of all evil. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. This is the best reading. The affection, the love, for silver and gold, for greenbacks… the love of it is in view here...

Listen: Money, silver and gold is not evil. The love of it is. It is not wrong to work for it, to have it and to use it. It is ok to be wealthy.

(Look down to verse 17-18) “Wealthy people, do good, do not be haughty, or greedy...”

Having money is not in the text here… It is money having you.

Listen: If money has you, you will not be satisfied or content. You will not be pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness… if you are pursuing money.

What s the argument given? Timothy/Church, we have brought nothing into this world and you will carry nothing out… So, don’t be consumed by these things?

It is insane to be consumed by and to live for that which is temporary... and ignore that which is eternal.

Jesus teaches us:

Matthew 6:25 - Why are you worried about food, drink and clothing? Why are you consumed by these things? God knows you, He loves you and He knows you need these things...

So don’t worry. Don’t be consumed with these. Seek God first and Hir righteousness… Be consumed with this! Be consumed with Him and His business.

Mark 4:19 - The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things… choke the word of life out of you and you will become unfruitful.

Consuming money brings death. Consuming God brings life.

Moving on...

Verse 8 - “And having food and clothing… with these we shall be content...”

Be content with having our needs… needs… met.

We need to go on a foreign mission trip. I need to take you to Chincha Alta, Peru. We need to go to Haiti. We need to get back to this reality...

We need to get back to what needs are. We need food, water, shelter, and clothing. We need to provide for these things and make sure our family has these things...

“Well, what does this have to do with fathers?”

*Dads, if we are consumed with money… we will not be consumed with God… and we will abdicate from all of our fatherly duties… and forsake our family for the sake of money.

We will gain the world, and lose our soul, and lead our family to hell behind us...

If money has you… God does not have you… If money has you… Your children and spouse do have have you.

You are miserable and they are missing out on the greatest gift you can give them: Christ in you.

Children and spouses need some things. But always remember… They need you!

A Present Father is a Gift of God.

2. Protector - If we are not there to protect, we cannot protect. This goes beyond fighting with our fists, or the use of our guns… to run off a human threat, or a dangerous animal.

We have to be around to do this… but beyond this kind of protection...

Fathers must protect their wives and their children with the truth, and with wisdom.

As parents, as fathers, we desire to train the child in the way they should go… so that when they are older… they will not depart from it...

Deuteronomy 6 is in view - Surround the child with God and you will protect a child for life and living.

A Father desires to protect a child’s innocence. A Father’s desire is to teach their children, and to protect their children by the knowledge and wisdom God has given them...

The parent’s teaching, the fathers teaching...

And someone is saying right now: “Wait brother wait… that is woman’s work… that is momma duty…, that is pastor duty, youth pastor, children’s pastor, Sunday School worker… responsibility...

Well, we will just keep that your little secret...

The Bible says: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord - Eph. 6:4.”

Yes, we are working together… But men are to take a leading role in this...

We, as godly fathers, do not abdicate from our responsibility as teachers, as family shepherds. We do not step away and say “wife, pastor, Sunday school... take it.”

And we do not abdicate from our position… to hand our children over to the pastor, youth pastor, children’s workers, or Sunday school teachers, or anyone else...

It is on the parent to raise the child. It is on dads to lead the way. Moms and dads will be held accountable on the day of judgment for how we raised the children.

There will be no pointing fingers on that day.

We can’t protect our families… we can’t teach our families… we cannot lead our families to safety, to peace, to life, to joy… we cannot direct them...

...If we are not there… If we are chasing a dollar... with the family in the rear-view mirror.

3-5. Being an Encouraging, Comforting, and Disciplining Father

My encouragement, and comfort sounded like this:

“Get up and rub some dirt on it! Oh, your leg hurts… come here and let me cut it off… Oh you are crying, I will give you something to cry about...”

This is how we encourage and comfort… This is what we heard our fathers say. And it did encourage us… to never complain again. And it did comfort us to know that dirt had healing properties before the infection sets in… And it comforts us to know that our situation could be much worse.

Research shows: On average, children whose father is actively involved (who is encouraging, comforting, and disciplining) tend to have fewer problems with school achievement, behavior, and social interaction than children whose father is not actively involved in their life.

Children who feel a closeness to their father are: twice as likely to enter college or find stable employment after high school, 75% less likely to have a teen birth, 80% less likely to spend time in jail, and half as likely to experience multiple depression symptoms.

Other research shows:

Fatherless children are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, and abuse drugs in childhood and adulthood)

Homelessness (90 percent of runaway children have an absent father)

A Present, and godly Father is a Gift from God, to bless the family...

Listen: There are children everywhere labeled “children with daddy issues.”

There are children who are insecure, and fearful. There are boys who are imitating mom, angry at dad for being absent, abusive and or negligent.

There are many women struggling with daddy issues… Women without an example of manliness, suffer. Women without an understanding of real love from fathers, suffer. Women who have trust issues with dad, suffer.

They have a fear of abandonment, chose to remain distant from men… or maybe the daughter decides to be the father she never had… and the son decides to marry the man he never had...

How important is it for fathers to grasp this today?

So goes the family, so goes the world… So goes the father… so goes the family...

How necessary is it to be delivered for the deception that money is the most important thing a family needs...

Verse 11 - O man of God… flee from the love of money. Run to the love of God. Run to your family and be present in their lives. They need you. They need a godly man. They need a godly father… a godly husband… They need you.

They need you to be godly and to be in their lives. Yes they need food, drink, shelter, and clothes. They need you to work hard and come home to them, and work hard with them.

They need to see you loving momma.

“The most, or one of the most important things a father can do for their children is to love their mother” - Henry Ward Beecher

Model Christ’s love, by loving momma in front of the children. Pray for her, laugh with her, kiss her, hug her, forgive her and ask her for forgiveness… in front of the children.

They need you in their lives to teach and to model what a godly man is in the home.

And How do fathers do this?

By knowing and imitating the Heavenly Father, following Christ, day by day. By pursuing righteousness, godliness… growing in faith, love, patience and gentleness...

The father is to look to the Heavenly Father, imitate the Heavenly Father… and then give the Heavenly Father to the family.

At home, a godly father teaches the Gospel with his words and his life. He shares his faith and lays down his life for his family and builds them up as the family shepherd.

Dads, listen up: They need to see real Christianity at home.

C. H. Spurgeon - Train a child in the way he should go… but be sure you go that way yourself.

Lastly: Discipline: Shepherd that back end, and shepherd the heart.

Discipline goes beyond spankings. Should we spank? Yes, I believe we should. We should use the rod of discipline and inflict pain as needed… to save our children’s life and soul.

But we should shepherd the heart as well.

Fathers, shepherd the heart. Speak to the heart. Ask questions. Get involved. Teach them and explain.

“I know, I know… sometimes we just want quiet… and we come in with switches, fly swatters, and leather belts looking like Southern Ninjas...”

But we are not selfish… It is not all about us, and us having our peace and quiet… at the expence of creating an unhealthy fear in our children… and causing great wedges of bitterness… Because we respond too quickly and with rage.

No we are God’s under-shepherds in the home… looking to and imitating the Heavenly Father… the One Who shepherds us with righteousness, love, patience, and gentleness...

We want to point them to God. We want to show them God… in all that we do… We do not want to create stumbling blocks, that trip them and keep them from the Savior...

We want to make smooth roads to get to God.

Imitate the Heavenly Father by looking to Christ. Teach them God’s Word. Surround them, speak over them, pray over them, providing for them, protecting them, comforting, and encouraging them… as we discipline them...

Are we going to do this perfectly? No. There is only one Perfect Heavenly Father… and we are all looking to Him.

Godly fathers grow in this… Fail at this… Get back up and grow in this… Get slack and apathetic… and then grow in this… Become deceived… Then hear a sermon on a Sunday morning… and get back to this… and grow in this...

We keep our eyes on the Lord and teach our children to do the same.

Listen:

If our eyes are filled with money… our eyes are not filled with Christ and raising godly families.

Listen: If we teach our children to keep their eyes on money and not on Christ… We have failed as fathers.

If we teach our children to keep their eye on the ball… and not on Christ… we have failed as fathers.

If we teach our children to keep our eyes on the prize and the prize is not ultimately Christ… We are failing, will fail, or have failed as fathers...

Fathers… where are your eyes. Where are your families eyes?

If your family was to speak, concerning you, what would they say? Would they say, “He is consumed with money, and he does not spend any time with us.” Or would they say, “He is consumed with Jesus, and his family...”

What would you want them to say?

Men of God. Fathers. Daddy’s. Children of God...

What is your priority? Gain the whole world, and lose your soul, and your family in the end???

Do you need to flee from some things? Do some things need to be taken off your plate, to fit in more family time? Do you need to pray for contentment today? Do you need to ask your family for forgiveness today?

Today is a good day to repent, and to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

Today is a good day to fight the good fight of faith, and win the family for the Lord...

We are all going to mess up. We are all going to fail. Only God is good and perfect. Look to Him this day for forgiveness and look to Him to make progress in your life.

Pray and close.