Father’s Day 2025

Godly, Wise Fathers

Proverbs 4:1-15 is our text today

(READ)

The premium that is Wisdom

Ladies and children 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…

A Wise Father - Sharing Wisdom

Today - Just opening God’s Word and letting Him speak to to us today, reminding us of the wisdom available

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

GROWING AS A GODLY, WISE FATHER/MAN

Demonstrating love by passing on this wisdom (assuming you are tuned in to it already)

WISDOM = skillful living according to the WORD

When Teaching Wisdom…

1) Be Present

Prov 4:1 instructs a son to listen

Clearly implying that the father is present to be doing the speaking

Verse 2 - “I give this to you” - the father is there, giving the instruction, the wisdom

Couple this with Deuteronomy 6:7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

Morning, noon, night

Wise, Godly fathers are present, involved

This is not “virtual” - this is in-person

Verses 3 and 4 imply that this is how we were raised - hopefully the case

I cannot say that is true of my upbringing

Maybe it wasn’t yours, either

So it starts with us

2) Acquiring Wisdom

Proverbs 4:5 NASB95

Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Teach kids to acquire wisdom

Point kids to the truth, the Biblical truth

Remember this!

As you teach kids to read, to throw, hit, or kick a ball

Teach them to acquire something that will last

The world seems to know their “own” truth

And the world will teach your kids their truth

Proverbs 1:8 NASB95

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

(READ verses 7-9) Proverbs 1:7–8 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;”

Fathers are teachers - teachers to kids who can be foolish…

Teaching WHAT?

Teaching is easy… if you teach kids to just go along with 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 when deciding to marry

Teach children what culture is, what culture does, and why culture needs godly husbands and fathers

INVESTMENTS

Spend wisely

Invest in areas of spiritual return

Bibles, books, magazines upholding the Bible

Help them acquire wisdom

3) Disciplining While Nurturing

Yes, fathers CAN nurture (they MUST, actually)

Proverbs 19:18 NASB95

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

DISCIPLINING

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, who will pray with you in public, they look weird to the world - OK!

NURTURING

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

Freedom to fail

Acceptance, Affection, even with correction

Nurturing directly affects the brain development, especially at early ages - Titus 2:4 again

Titus 2:4 NASB95

so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,

“Love” here - “liking,” enjoying being around, the days spent with meaningful activity that is enjoyable

4) Modeling Integrity

Integrity = living what you say - uprightness, honor

Proverbs 20:7 NASB95

A righteous man who walks in his integrity— How blessed are his sons after him.

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

5) Understanding Beauty

Internally!

Proverbs 31:30 NASB95

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Struggle to “stay beautiful”

Yes, God says to care for the temple of the Lord, your body, but…

1 Peter 3:4–5 NASB95

but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands;

Husbands, godly husbands, want their wife to be attractive

But what is truly attractive?

The INNER beauty of a woman who loves the LORD

A mother who loves the LORD - MORE than she loves her husband and children

That is an amazingly attractive woman

Ladies, you might chase physical beauty…let me encourage you

Focus on the spiritual!

This beauty NEVER fades - NEVER

FINALLY - FOR MOTHERS, and ALL OF US

6) Pray

The power of prayer!

Strengthens relationship with Yahweh

Makes you more like Christ

Puts you in a surrendered state - preparing you to love husband and nurture kids

All making you the woman God desires you to be

Mothers - pray for and over your children

Pray for and over your husband

Other moms and women may not understand your prayerful spirit

(They will just expect their kids to turn out OK, and then wonder why they struggle)

You will get plentiful opportunities to pray

Jesus - The example

Remember, as you strive to do these, you have a wonderful example

Jesus demonstrated every one of these

Available, Involved, teaching, training, disciplining, nurturing, integrity, praying

Aren’t you glad He did?

Especially being prayerful?

He prayed, when life was not easy

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

Keep striving to grow, spiritually, closer to the LORD

And yes, your children know if this is you

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

Love Your Husband

…the father of your children

Probably the most selfless act you can do - rare in the world

First, passionately pursue Christ

Second, love your husband through Biblical submission

BIBLICAL submission (don’t know what that is?)

Build him up - the world already tears Him down

ASIDE for divorced - don’t speak evil of your ex, especially around kids

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, He is always near…

The Nearness of God

Psalm 73:26 NASB95

My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

(READ - 26-28)

There are days:

You’ll fail - but you are not a failure

You’ll feel weak - but you are not weak

You’ll feel alone, far from God

Remember His nearness, closeness, is for your good

The world is wicked - fret not, Psalm 37 passage

And you are right in the middle of it all

Trying to love your husband and raise up Godly children

Yahweh is the strength you need

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

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

And He’ll make it eternally fulfilling - He promises!