Father's Day 2025

Christ Is the Head of Every Man

1 Corinthians 11:3 NASB95

But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

As Christ is our head we live in subjection to His rule. In every aspect of being a man we submit ourselves to His Lordship. We do this by obeying His commandments, abiding in Him, and being transformed into His image.

Obey His Commandments

John 14:15 NASB95

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Luke 6:46 NASB95

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Obeying the Commandments of Christ are key to being a good father. So the question is what are His commandments. First let’s start with the most important ones.

Matthew 22:37–40 NASB95

And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God and love others. This is important because our vertical relationship with the Father will determine the health of all other relationships. The greater the love of God, the greater the love we can have with others. The opposite is true. The less we love God, the more we will love ourselves. This tends to make us selfish. When we are selfish our earthly relationships suffer.

Then you have the commandments that are found in Jesus teachings. These can be found in the Sermon on the mount, the teachings He taught his disciples,, as well as other books of the Bible that were inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In order to obey His commandments we must know HIs commandments and this leads me to the next aspect of living in subjection to Christ.

Abide In Christ

John 15:4–5 NASB95

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

We must spend time with Christ. This is a must. This is not optional if we are going to be good Fathers. If we want healthy marriages and good kids, then time spent with Jesus will enable us to bear that fruit. It is spending time with Jesus that teaches us how to be a good husband and father. Jesus teachings on this are robust in His word. When we understand the general concepts of the word, the Holy Spirit shows us how to apply these concepts. It is the application of Jesus principles that brings forth the fruit we desire.

Jesus is the holy sap that gives life to our branch that can then bear the fruit of healthy marriage and good kids. To neglect abiding in Christ is to neglect your responsibility to your wife and kids. They are looking to you as head of the household to personify Christ. You are the influencer of the family. What they see in you sets the direction of your family.

Abiding in Christ helps us understand how much and how He loves us. We can reciprocate that love to our wife and our children. This is how we are transformed.

Be Transformed Into the Image of Christ

Romans 12:2 NASB95

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

This world will try to tell us what a real man and father is suppose to be. Don’t be deceived by what the world tells you what a real man is and a good father. Allow the Bible to conform your mind and shape you into a real man and good father. For example, I heard someone say that real men don’t cry. Them most manly man I know cried. John 11:35 “Jesus wept.” The world will tell you that you are to provide for the family and the wife is to take care of the kids. This is a half-truth. Men are to provide for their family, but they are to raise their kids and not pawn that off on the wife. This means that you may have to sacrifice some of your hobby time to dedicate to raising your kids.

If you are a husband and a father then it is the Lord’s will that you steward your wife and children in a way that honors God. They do not belong to you, but are given to your care, so you can reflect the image of Christ to them!

We will see in the last part of the sermon how to do this.

Love Your Wife As Christ Loves the Church

Ephesians 5:25 NASB95

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

Sacrifice for Your Wife

Christ loved the church so much that he was willing to lay his life down so that it would have eternal life. Men we are called to sacrifice ourselves for our wives. We are to put her wants and desires before our own. Our children pay close attention to how we love their mom. Their trust in us is often shaped by how we demonstrate our love for their mom. Our love for their mom is the security that helps a child thrive in life. It demonstrates what a healthy relationship looks like. We are not perfect, but when we mess up it is best to assure our children that mom and dad’s love is forever. Tell Story about Tucker’s broke leg

Sanctify Your Wife

Men are to demonstrate their love for their wife by sanctifying (setting apart their covenant relationship) their love for her. Husbands are called to put their relationship with their wife above any earthly relationship. Mom’s, buddies, co-workers and any other relationship you have are secondary to the relationship with your wife. The only relationship that is more important than your wife is with the Lord.

Fathers are to be committed to this relationship in good times and bad times, rich or poor, good health or poor health. Marriage is not easy. You will have rough patches. A good father weathers the storms of the marriage and perseveres to make the relationship stronger.

A man is to be faithful to his wife.  This goes beyond sensual. A man is to keep the marriage bed pure. He is also to put the marriage before his job, hunting and fishing, golfing, or any other recreational activity. He is to communicate to his wife through his actions that she is the most important person to him. This means that he must listen when she talks (OUCH). Give up some of his time in order for her to have her free time.

Genesis 2:24 NASB95

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

Secure your Wife

Ephesians 5:28 NASB95

So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;

He does this by caring for her physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

A man is to take care of his wife physically. He does this by providing and protecting. This means more than the bare necessities. A man must provide for his wife well. If it means that you take on extra work, then take on extra work.

A man is to care for his wife emotionally.  He is to treat her in such a way that she feels as though she is the most important person in the world. You do this by simply listening.

A man is to care for his wife spiritually.  He is to pray with her, read the bible with her, and take responsibility for her spiritual growth.

Father Your Children Well

The sure way to father your children well is to teach them the scriptures, discipline them, and encourage them.

Teach Your Children the Scriptures

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 NASB95

“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “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.

Fathers it is our responsibility to teach the Bible to our kids. We can do this in a myriad of different ways. We can read the Bible to them right before bed. Telling the biblical stories to your kids at bedtime is a good way to teach them the Bible. Having a family devotional every week is a good way to share the teachings of the Bible. Teaching them biblical principles in times of crisis in their lives.

Their understanding of the scriptures are going to be their foundation when they leave your home and the world consumes them. How you taught your children the scriptures will determine your stress level when they leave your house. Kids are going to make poor choices and mistakes, but they will always return to their foundation when things seem to be out of control. What are you laying as the foundation of your children’s lives?

Discipline Your Children

Hebrews 12:7–11 NASB95

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

We must discipline our children so that they will respect us, grow in holiness, and live lives of righteousness.

A father that fails to discipline their child will have no respect from their child. When a father is more interested in being their child’s friend than their parent then they will not discipline. They do not want to hurt the child’s feelings because they think it will hurt the relationship. I will contend that failure to discipline your child will do more destruction to the relationship than hurting their feelings. Disciplining your child will put a healthy fear that will gain respect. Just like we Fear the Lord and do what He says.

When a parent disciplines a child correctly it changes the heart of a child. For example, I did not like the whoopings I got as a child, but disappointing my dad was much worse than the belt. It taught my heart to be obedient to the desires and commandments of my father.

When you discipline a child early, you don’t have to try to do it when they are older. What may seem cute to you at age three is not nearly as cute when they do it at fifteen.

Encourage Your Children

The confidence a father can give a child by encouraging them is monumental. Remember the quentesential illustration of a dad trying to get a child to jump in the deep end of a pool.

The opposite is true. We should not discourage our children. John MacArthur shares 8ways fathers tend to discourage their children.

1. Overprotection- children are people that can think and be trusted when given proper boundaries. We can guide but must not control.

2. Favoritism- showing partiality to one child at the expense of another

3. Unreasonable expectations- living our dreams through our kids

4. Discouragement- never praising or encouraging your child

5. Selfishness- never willing to sacrifice for your child or make them feel wanted

6. Rushing a child into adulthood- not allowing them to act like a child.

7. Using love as a tool- reward with love only when they are obedient.

8. Verbal or physical abuse.