Family Matters 6 | A Godly Father

Family Matters 6 | A Godly Father (Ephesians 6:1-4)

Being a father isn’t an angry work, but an awesome work (provoke not your children to wrath)

Psalm 127:3–5 “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: And the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; So are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be ashamed, But they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”

Being a father is not a flexible work, but a fixed work (bring them up/continual development)

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Train the child until they are old!

Deuteronomy 6:1–2 “Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.”

Being a father is not a secular work, but a spiritual work (nurture and admonition of the Lord)

Infatuated with Your Children

Beloved - dearly loved and cherished; sometimes preferred above all others and treated with partiality.

When Jesus is baptized

Matthew 3:16–17 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

When Jesus was transfigured

Matthew 17:4–5 “Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”

John 15:9 “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.”

Influence Your Children

“Like father, like son.”

By what they See

John 5:19 “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

A man who does not pray, is teaching his children not to pray; he who neglects the public worship of God, is teaching his children to neglect it; he who does not read the Bible, is teaching his children not to read it.

By what you Say

John 12:49–50 “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”

Genesis 19:8 “Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.”

Genesis 19:14 “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.”

Mocked - to talk or behave without serious intentions.

WHAT YOU SAY HAS SERIOUS RAMIFICATIONS. CHILDREN HEAR EVERYTHING, EVEN WHEN YOU THINK THEY ARE NOT LISTENING!

Matthew 12:36 “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

If they hear daddy bad mouthin’ momma, the children are going to think that it’s ok.

If they hear daddy bad mouthin’ the church, the children are going to bad mouth the church.

If they hear daddy tell a dirty joke, they’re going to tell it to their friends.

BUT IF THEY HEAR YOU THANK MOMMA FOR THAT MEAL, THE CHILDREN WILL. (The church is great, edifying words, uplift words, singing the right songs, etc)

Isaac lied like his father. Solomon lusted like his father.

Instruct Your Children

John 8:28 “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.”

Ephesians 6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Nurture - The word used here means "training of a child;" hence education, instruction, discipline.

Leaving children without instruction is like leaving a garden untended. Weeds, briars, and thorns will grow and choke everything.

If you were to teach your child how to change the oil in your vehicle, you wouldn’t just let him form his own opinions and do it his own way.

Admonition -  "a putting in mind," then warning, admonition, instruction. The sense here is, that they were to put them in mind of the Lord - of his existence, perfections, law, and claims on their hearts and lives. (Deuteronomy 6)

Should a child eventually know how to drive a car? Yes

Should a child know how to get a job? Yes

Should a child get good grades? Yes

IF WE FAIL TO PUT IN MIIND THE WORD OF GOD, THE JUDGMENT OF GOD, THE SALVATION OF GOD, THE HOLINESS OF GOD, THE STATUTES OF GOD TO OUR CHILDREN, WE HAVE DONE NOTHING OF VAULE FOR OUR CHILDREN.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

Interaction with Your Children

John 10:15 “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Know - to learn or find something out by making an inquiry or other effort.

John 17:25 “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.”

JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE A GOOD CHRISTIAN DOESN’T MEAN YOU ARE A GOOD FATHER.

1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.”

You can know the Lord yourself, but unless your children KNOW that you KNOW the Lord and want the children to KNOW the Lord, they probably wont KNOW the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:22–24 “Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.”

1 Samuel 8:1–3 “And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.”

Joel - “Jehovah is God”

Abiah - “Jehovah is my father”

Samuel even named his children after God, but they weren’t godly. IF YOU DON’T INTERACT WITH YOUR CHILDREN, SOMEBODY WILL.

Samuel must’ve thought that his sons would be good judges. If he would’ve interacted with them instead of being consumed with his work, he would’ve known they weren’t capable of being judges and that they didn’t walk in the ways of the Lord.

Indispensable to Your Children

John 16:32 “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”

When that child has no body to talk to, no body to play with, no body to pray with, no body to love them, no body to hold them, no body to help them, THE FATHER SHOULD ALWAYS BE THERE.